A Gentler Steam
by anti-viper
Summary: As both parties sail the Eastern Sea, growing closer and closer to their eventual meeting, Jenna and Mia come to terms with repressed and conflicted feelings that have become too strong to ignore.
1. It's Called Being Gay

Author's Note: _Not much to say here. As you might guess by the title of the first chapter, this fic centers around Jenna realizing she's either gay or bisexual. Not going to spoil anything, but it leads to some interesting situations :P So, without further adieu, fic!_

I in no way own Golden Sun, I just like writing about it_  
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><p>A Gentler Steam<p>

Chapter 1: It's Called Being Gay

It was a lazy day on the Lemurian ship. The sun was high and bright in the sky, the sea was mostly calm, and seagulls were continuously circling around a very annoyed Felix, attempting to steal the piece of bread he was slowly eating. As one made the dangerous mistake of flying too close to him and thus getting punched out of the sky, Jenna, who was sitting in the crow's nest, sighed. Mentally, she checked off where everyone would be at this time of the day. _Felix is down on the deck, probably eating, judging by the gulls harassing him, _she thought with a small smile. _Piers is probably then steering or doing whatever else Lemurians do in their free time. He must keep something around to occupy himself, Lemurians certainly have a lot of it. Kraden must be either asleep or reading something. Or looking for someone to bore to death. AND HE'S NOT EVEN SENILE YET! Jeez, it's going to be scary when he is. And Sheba… well..._

"Is right behind you?" Sheba supplied, perched on the railing behind Jenna, who jumped in fright, causing the young Jupiter adept to burst into the mischievous giggles she was so well known for. Jenna was flustered, but not angry. For some reason, she had a hard time getting angry with the only female companion she had. _That's why, she's the only other girl here. And I need to have a female to talk to, so I can't get her angry at me or risk anything by getting mad at her like I do around everyone else. Yeah. That's it. Well…_ "EARTH TO JENNA!" Sheba shouted, jumping off the railing she had been sitting on and walking over to her friend. "Anyone home? I have to read Felix's mind to find out what HE'S thinking, but usually you're ready to talk the bark off a tree. Why so quiet?"

Jenna smiled, and replied, "No real reason. I was actually just thinking about going to find you." Jenna blushed quickly after she said this. "You know, just to talk or hang out. Or annoy Felix. Whatever you like. You choose!" Jenna ended the sentence speaking very quickly, and Sheba gave her an odd look.

"Uh…. Did Piers use some kind of Lemurian drug on you or something? You're really loopy today. Well, I mean, you're always kind of loopy, but in a good way. A 'burn all people who annoy me' way. I appreciate that about you." Sheba flashed a quick smile, and for no reason she could identify, Jenna felt her knees buckle. _Her smile's so cute! And… she likes my personality!_ "That's okay though, we all have off days. Want to annoy Felix?" Without waiting for an answer, Sheba leaned over the railing and glanced down at the Venus Adept, who was finally enjoying his small meal (and ignoring the twitching bodies of the injured seagulls spread around him). She held a hand over her mouth to stipend another giggle and sent a small gust of wind down towards Felix. It landed on his head, paused there for a second, and then disappeared, leaving his normally somewhat kept hair fairly disheveled and covering most of his face.

Sheba quickly hid herself from Felix's view, but after some muted grumbling, the two girls (and Piers, who was steering the ship but gazing with slight amusement at Felix's predicament out of the corner of his eye) heard him shout, "FINE! I GUESS I CAN'T EAT OUT ON THE DECK! I'LL BE IN MY ROOM!" He stood up quickly and walked off in a huff, throwing the door open and slamming it, then reappearing a moment late as he had forgotten his bread, slamming the door even harder the second time. Piers shook his head and let out an amused chuckle, while Jenna giggled and Sheba burst out laughing, falling onto the ground and rolling around, holding her sides. Jenna loved annoying Felix: he was always so needlessly grumpy. Her attention was diverted from her brother though, as she took notice of Sheba rolling around next to her. _She's so full of energy, full of life. It's such a joy to be around her._ She continued to stare at her younger companion with a warm smile, even after Sheba had stopped laughing and had stood up. _And, of course she's pretty. No wonder the people of Lalivero thought she was a goddess! No, not pretty, beautiful. Her minute form, her short hair, her soft lips —_ _WHOA. That's taking it a bit far. Or is it? I wonder what they feel like._

"…The hell?" Sheba asked removing herself from Jenna's mind, a look of confusion plastered upon her face. "Why were you thinking about my lips?" Jenna's face turned a bright shade of red, and she quickly searched for something to say, but could do nothing but stutter. Sheba shook her head, and her look of confusion turned to one of slight worry. "You need to sleep Jenna, you are REALLY off today. I'm actually going to go take a nap myself. Wake me up if you want to do something later. Bye!" And with that, the carefree young girl jumped off the crow's nest and landed gracefully on the ground, using the wind to cushion her fall. Jenna slowly sunk to the ground, leaning her back against the railing. All she could think about was Sheba's question: Why HAD she been thinking about her lips?

Jenna and Sheba had bonded very quickly over their trip, despite her initially being a prisoner. While Jenna had never enjoyed hanging out with girls all that much, Sheba was the exception: instead of being uptight and boring, interested in gossip, or just plain mean and odd for no reason, she was fairly easy going. Jenna was well rewarded for the initial kindness she had decided to show the Wind Adept, as they had become fast friends. Later, Sheba would admit to Jenna that she, being the Holy Child of Lalivero, had never really had a true "friend" before, as everyone had thought too highly of her to allow their children to "dishonor her" with their presence. Sheba's explanation of her past had led to Jenna explaining her own, to which the young Laliveran had shown much sympathy towards. Of course, they talked about boys as well. Or, Sheba talked about boys, and Jenna talked about A boy. She much regretted giving Sheba any knowledge of her feelings for Isaac.

Still, she had taken the teasing in stride, and had recently made a habit of musing out loud over Sheba's feelings for her brother. The results were often very amusing to Jenna: it was clear that her first female friend in quite a while had quite the crush on Felix. At first, Jenna had been ecstatic to learn this: in her mind, a girlfriend would be great for Felix. Maybe help him loosen up a little. After their initial teasings, the girls had taken to seriously discussing their respective crushes. Sheba was caught between whether or not her feelings for Felix were romantic or not. Jenna was fairly sure how she felt about Isaac, but had lingering doubts that the feelings were requited. It was strange, though. Whenever Sheba would bring up her feelings for Felix, Jenna would feel an odd twisting feeling in her stomach. Almost like… jealousy? But that didn't make any sense, of course she wasn't jealous of Sheba liking Felix. But then… why did she feel like she was? Coming to no real answer, and wanting to desperately forget the entire lips incident, Jenna began to climb down from the crow's nest. As she reached the deck, she was greeted by a question that caught her so off guard her heart nearly forgot to beat.

"So, how long have you liked girls?" Jenna, after recovering from nearly falling over, turned to see a very amused Piers grinning from ear to ear. She greatly enjoyed the Lemurian's presence and that he had joined their party, as he was wise, kind, and more often than not a good influence on Felix. Her brother nearly drove her crazy with his stoic attitude and self-imposed ban on smiling, but Piers (and to a lesser degree Sheba) could cheer him up, and Piers was the only person on the ship would could truly talk Felix out of an idea.

Jenna breathed in deeply, trying to clear her mind, but it failed. "Wh-what are you talking about?" She sputtered back. "Of-of course I like girls, you know they're nice, I'm friends with them." She made an awkward motion toward the wheel. "Shouldn't you be steering the ship?"

"No, we're on a straight course, the sea's calm, and the weather's fine," Pier's replied, his golden eyes holding a slight glimmer of mischief. "And I don't mean as friends. I mean as in love. The way a man and a woman love, and then get married or live with each other. You feel that way about women." He said this with a mostly straight face, but a bit of amusement still snuck in, his lips curved into a smirk. Jenna didn't understand what he was saying at first, but then it clicked, and she shook her head.

"I'm sorry Piers, but I don't know what you're talking about. People of the same gender don't get married or fall in love. That's just how it is." She crossed her arms, as if that settled the matter. "So what, I think girls are nice, that doesn't mean I'm going to marry one. I like boys too! You remember when Sheba teased me about Isaac? Well, I've had a crush on him for at least ten years!" Jenna blushed as she realized what she had just said. "DON'T TELL SHEBA I SAID THAT. I DIDN'T MEAN TO. I WAS JUST TRYING TO PROVE A POINT." Piers started laughing at Jenna's outburst, but his laughter died as he felt the air around him grow incredibly hot. He looked at Jenna to see flames starting to develop around her. "I'm serious. Don't make me BURN YOU."

Piers gulped, and nodded, then responded, "I promise, I won't. Also, just because you like boys doesn't mean you can't like girls too, or vice versa. Plenty of my people date or fall in love with members of the same sex, and many like both sexes as well. I take it the outside world doesn't approve of this?"

Jenna looked shocked, and slowly processed what Piers had said before responding. "Do you mean, in Lemuria… girls can date other girls? And… you know kiss them?" Piers nodded. "That's so… so… weird." Jenna tried to sound convincing, but her voice was filled with longing rather than disgust or disapproval.

"Not at all," Piers said, opening the door and walking into the galley. Jenna followed. "It's completely normal for love to bloom unexpectedly. It's interesting though, that you have a thing for Sheba. I wasn't sure if you liked women or not for a while. I had my suspicions, but it wasn't until that incident on the crow's nest that I was positive. You would make a cute couple." Jenna blushed heavily at this, glancing around to make sure nobody was in the room. Sure enough, it was empty.

"B-but… like you said, even if I do like girls – AND I'M NOT SAYING THAT I DO! – do you think she would feel the same way? And you are right, as far as I know it's completely unheard of to like someone of the same gender in THAT way. But… I think I might. I feel so confused." Piers nodded, and gave his friend a pat on the shoulder.

"Well, I'm not sure. Sheba might. She's still young though, so she might not even know. Also, she seems to have a small crush on Felix. Comes with the territory when someone dives off a lighthouse to their doom to save you, I guess. If you feel confused, talk to Felix. He's our leader for a reason. He'll know what to do." Jenna shook her head in a panic.

"ARE YOU CRAZY PIERS! I can't tell my brother that… that I…" Jenna couldn't bring herself to say it.

"It's called 'gay' in Lemuria, if you're looking for a word to express it. And he'll understand. He would have dived off a lighthouse to save you as well. Felix loves you Jenna, and he always will, whether or not you marry a man or a woman. Heck, he might prefer a girl, given the way he acts around men that show the slightest interest in you! Either way, you should talk to him. He's in his room." Jenna gulped, and nodded. Slowly, she made her way down one of the corridors, to Felix's room. Piers merely chuckled. He loved all of his friends dearly, more dearly than any acquaintances he had ever made in his home, and hoped that this would work out for the best. Either way, it was time for him to prepare some lunch! As he pulled out some salt dried sausages, he heard soft footsteps behind him, and turned to see a certain Jupiter Adept yawning.

"Hey, Piers. Can I talk to you for a sec? Jenna's been acting weird lately."

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><p>Yep, it's a little fluffy so far, but it gets less so as it goes on. Or maybe it doesn't. The next chapter is a bit more serious, hopefully. As of now I'm in the middle of chapter three. The characterization seems a little off to me, but the characters are tweaked slightly for comedic purposes, and because writing characters the same way every fic gets boring. Gotta love variation. Hmmmm, what else… as is obvious, a revelations of feelings moment is coming up. Not going to lie: JennaSheba to me is the single cutest pairing in the entire series. Absolutely adorable. As always, reviews are welcome, and I'd love for some good constructive criticism. I'm running into a few issues with this fic coming out the way I want it to, so depending on the feedback it could go through some mild tweaking. Nothing heavy, but still. Thanks for reading! Update length shouldn't be more than a week, and chapter two will be about this length.


	2. And There's Nothing Wrong With That!

_And on to chapter two! Felix and Jenna heavy, this one is. Still a fair amount of humor, but a bit more serious. It's a good mix in this fic, I think, and I'm striving to keep both sides of the spectrum present. Well, on to the story!_

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><p>Chapter 2: And There's Nothing Wrong With That!<p>

Jenna gulped as she stared at Felix's cabin door. She figured Piers was right, but still, something held her back. Maybe it was the idea of being rejected by someone she had thought she would never see again. She couldn't lose Felix again, especially not because of something as silly as liking girls as much as she liked guys. _I should just go to my room. Felix doesn't have to know. Oh, Mars, what if he told Sheba? Then I'd really be screwed. No, I have Isaac, and that's all I need. Or, at least I think I have him. Stupid blue haired hussy. Who does she think she is? Hopefully she'll fall for Garet or whatever the short one's name is. _

As Jenna (once again) became lost in thought, the door opened, and Felix walked out. Her jaw dropped as he stopped, noticing her. There was an awkward silence where she tried to will herself to simply turn and run, but before she could, her older brother spoke.

"What's wrong?" Felix spoke, his normally stoic voice slightly lined with care he seemingly only reserved for his sister.

"Wr-wrong? She responded, avoiding his eyes. She knew it was pointless, though. He could read her emotions like a book.

"Yes, wrong, you're acting strange." Felix said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "You're avoiding eye contact, you look nervous, and for whatever reason you were standing outside my door. Something's wrong, and it looks like you wanted to talk to me about it, but are now having cold feet. So, what's wrong?"

Jenna couldn't help but smile at her brother's bluntness and caring, and drew into him, wrapping her arms around for a hug. Felix stiffened for a moment, before returning the hug. Jenna buried her head in his chest, nuzzling against it, squeezing him tight.

She hadn't hugged him like this since they were children, and she would hold him tightly during storms or when she felt miserable, like when Garet had lit her favorite stuffed animal on fire. Felix felt his rips start to wince in light pain, but he held her tenderly still. He would never admit it, but he had missed these hugs. He had reminisced about them on cold nights in Prox, imagining Jenna, alone and in pain, needing him for warmth and love. He had promised then that he would always be there for her as soon as he had completed his vow to the Proxians, and was glad that, even if it had resulted in her kidnapping and he still needed to light Jupiter and Mars, he had found a way to fulfill that promise.

After a minute, she lightened her grip, and walked into his room. Felix spared a moment to breathe, then closed the door and followed her. She sat down on the bed, as did he. All worries that Jenna had held had dissipated. Her brother's warm embrace had proven to her what Piers had told her: no matter what, Felix would accept her.

She sighed, and said, "I like girls. Like, as in, I like girls like I should like guys. But I still like guys. Apparently I like both." She glanced over at Felix, wondering how he would react. His face was like stone, and he was silent for a few moments.

"Yeah, I know. You like a lot of people." Felix said, clearly not understanding. Jenna sighed.

"No, Felix…. I mean, like as in want to date. Want to kiss. Want to hold. Want to love. I feel that way about both guys and girls." Jenna said quietly, avoiding his eyes. This was not going as well as she had hoped.

"Wait." Felix started, still confused. "Like… you want to kiss girls?" Jenna nodded. "Oh." Another awkward pause. "And you want to, you know… marry a girl? And… umm… you know…" Jenna raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Like… this?" Felix held up his hands, making a hole with one and sticking his index finger through it, trying to simulate sex. Jenna giggled.

"Well, Felix, I'm pretty sure that's not what sex between two girls would look like, as there wouldn't be any, you know, male parts involved." Felix blushed a deep, deep maroon. This was way past his comfort zone. "But, I haven't even thought about that yet. I mean, I've been dealing with these feelings for a while, but I've been trying to ignore them, find a way to explain them, or understand them, not explore them. But, I guess eventually that might happen. Who knows, I may never be with a girl like that. I might just end up with a guy, like other girls. But..."

"But, you do feel that way about girls, and you wanted to talk to me about it?" Jenna nodded, looking slightly ashamed, hearing the worry and slight disapproval in his voice. Felix stared at her for some time, his thoughts racing. _Same sex relationships are very often looked down upon. She would have a hard life if she decided that was how she felt. But… it's how she feels. How can I tell her I love and care about her when in the same breath I try to tell her that how she feels and who she is are wrong? But, is it wrong? I mean, I think it's considered bad in Vale, but is it illegal?_

Felix spared a moment to look at his sister, whose face was pointed dejectedly at the ground. Small tears were beginning to form in her eyes, and… was she shaking? Jenna… she meant everything to him. Nothing in his life could have been more painful than those three years, cut from her, wondering every day if she was okay, if her heart could survive the pain of thinking her entire family was dead. Felix felt his eyes begin to water as well, and realized what he had to do._ None of that matters. I'm not a mayor, or a judge, or a priest. I'm her brother. And I want her to be her happy, and that means supporting her in what she wants._ Felix reached out and grasped Jenna's shoulder, pulling her into a one arm hug.

"Listen, Jen. There's nothing wrong with you being who you are. If that's truly how you feel, then you should be proud of it, and follow it. I will support you no matter what, and I know Mom and Dad will too. I love you, and nothing can change that. Unless you fall in love with Garet. That would be awful." Jenna burst into laughter, and Felix smiled, a rare feat.

_**Meanwhile, in the kitchen.**_

"Of course, Sheba. I actually just talked to Jenna about her recent behavior," Piers said with a smile as he cooked his sausage. Despite the differences in their natures, he was quite fond of the spunky Jupiter Adept, and thought it was sweet that she was worried about Jenna. Perhaps that meant she did indeed have feeling for the Mars Adept.

"Oh," replied Sheba, stretching her arms. "That's good. I was trying to take my nap, but I decided I should try to find her and see what's going on. How did your talk with her go?"

"Good!" said Piers. "Um, yeah, good. I think she's talking to Felix about it now, but it's kind of sorted out. Almost."

"That's good, she was worrying me. What was going on?" Sheba asked, yawning. She had interrupted her nap for this, and therefore wanted some clarity.

"Err. Well. Um. I can't tell you." Piers said, then flashed a very scared smile. Sheba's eyes narrowed. Telling a Jupiter Adept they COULDN'T hear something was a very bad idea. Because it lead to them invading your mind, as they were already very prone to do.

Suddenly she flashed a smile, and raised her hand. As she shouted "MIND READ!" Piers ran out of the room, trying to only think of sausages. It wasn't exactly hard: he was very hungry, and his stomach rumbled from dissatisfaction at being so rudely torn from its meal.

_**Back in the Bedroom**_

"So, I'm curious, why has this become such a big deal as of late?" Felix asked, glad to see that his sister seemed more relaxed. Jenna froze. She had no idea whether or not Felix actually had romantic feelings for Sheba. _Oh damn. I don't want to lie to him, but what if he likes her? What if she likes him? This is such a mess. It was hard enough accepting my sexuality, I didn't even think about Sheba's. I haven't met a single other person in my life who was gay, the odds that she is aren't exactly huge. And I've only known her for a few months, and while we've grown close in that time… okay, VERY close, I can't say I love her. What if it's just a crush? _"…Jenna?" Felix inquired, waving his hand in front of her face.

"Ooops! Sorry Felix," Jenna replied, breaking out of her daze. "I've been getting distracted really easily recently. And… um… the reason I've been thinking about it is an interesting story." Felix nodded, motioning for her to continue. "It's Sheba. I'm attracted to her. I didn't really realize it until today, I thought I just really liked her as a friend, but then when we were on the crow's nest I started thinking about kissing her, and she read my mind, and it's just a huge mess." Felix nodded. He had figured it must have had something do with a girl she had met, and Sheba was the most likely girl for numerous reasons. After all, she was the only female member of the party besides Jenna. She then asked, "Are you okay with that? I mean, do you have anything going on with her?"

Felix's blush returned, and he shook his head. "No. No. NO! SHE'S FOURTEEN! The hell Jenna! I'm not a pervert! I mean, she's nice, and maybe once she was older, but for now I simply would feel awkward being with someone so much younger than me." Jenna's lips curled in worry, and Felix asked, "What's wrong? You should be happy, that means she's yours, assuming she says yes." Jenna sighed.

"But… you just said she's too young for you. And I'm only a year younger than you." Felix's brow narrowed. He hadn't thought of that. "And to be honest, I doubt she'd say yes. I mean… it's not exactly common, you know?" Felix nodded.

"Well, look at it this way. Sheba is going to be 15 soon, and you won't be 18 for a while. And then, once you are, she would be 16 shortly after. That's not that big of an age difference. I, on the other hand, am almost 19 already. I'll be four years older than her. But, to be honest, I have no idea if she would say yes. I have no experience with same sex relationships. I think she would understand if you asked her, though."

Jenna perked up slightly. "Are you sure? I'm afraid that if I do ask, it will make things… weird between us. And that's the last thing that I want. Maybe –"

Jenna was interrupted as Piers burst through the door, and froze. "Oops! Sorry guys! Wrong room! Running away from our resident mind reader! I need to get – oh no." Piers had tried to turn to escape, but Sheba was blocking his way, a malicious grin on her face.

"No more secrets Piers! What's going on?" Sheba questioned with her hand on her hips. It was quite amazing how commanding someone of such a small stature could be. As she glared daggers at Piers, she noticed Jenna and Felix sitting on the bed. "Oh, hey guys!" They smiled slightly awkwardly, and Sheba tilted her head. "You're acting weird as well. Anyway, I was wondering what was going on with Jenna. Piers told me he talked to her about it, and that you two were as well, but he refused to tell me. So, um, would you mind telling me what's going on?"

Jenna's mouth opened and closed awkwardly as she tried to find something to say. Felix, thinking on his feet, quickly said, "We were planning your birthday!"

Sheba's eyes narrowed, and she asked, "But that has nothing to do with why Jenna's been acting weird, and if you were planning my birthday, wouldn't you all do it together rather than in pairs?" Felix looked away, his mind drawing a blank. Jenna dared a look into Sheba's eyes, giving her a sheepish smile and shrugging. Piers simply started whistling an old Lemurian tune.

Sheba's lip pouted slightly, and she lost the confident stance she had been holding. Her eyes, which had been filled with mischief and mock-anger only seconds before, now looked vulnerable and hurt. They were slowly beginning to swell with tears. "FINE. If you want to be like that, I won't stop you or read your minds. I just…" She paused, and stared at the floor, pursing her lips. "I just thought people I considered my friends wouldn't keep secrets from me." And with that, she walked out of the room in a huff.

After an awkward silence, Piers and Felix simultaneously said, "I think Jenna should go talk to her." Jenna glared at both of them, and shoved Felix off the bed.

"Like hell I will! This whole mess is Pier's fault if anything, make him do it!" Jenna shouted, crossing her arms and turning away from her male companions.

"If it's his fault, why did you push me off the bed?" Felix remarked dryly.

"Because, dear brother, you thought I should do it when HE clearly should be the one to," Jenna said, and then proceeded to grab Felix, lift him by the shirt, and throw him into Piers.

Piers, after recovering from his Felix-collision, coughed, and decided to give one more try at convincing Jenna, despite being fearful that she might destroy him in response. "Jenna, I understand that this situation is mostly my fault, but I was only trying for the best. My reasoning for you being the one to talk to Sheba is that the issue really has to deal with you, even though I am at the cause of it. Also, this would be a perfect opportunity for you to bring up your feelings for her." Jenna blushed as he finished. "If it would make you feel better, you can let her know that the blame rests with me."

Jenna sighed. "Fine. I'll go find her." With that, the flustered Mars Adept left the room, making her way towards Sheba's cabin. Felix picked himself off the ground, and sat down on the bed. Piers followed him.

"So…" The Lemurian began somewhat awkwardly. "How do you feel about Jenna going down on a vagina?" Felix's eyes widened, and his face hardened, but he did not move. Slowly, he turned to face his friend, his hands twitching with the desire to strangle his neck and rip out some of Piers's ridiculous blue hair while he was at it.

He restrained himself, however, and responded calmly. "Well, I think that's going a bit too far, but I see nothing wrong with her liking girls as well as guys. It's her life. I just want her to be happy," Felix replied, an eerily serene smile across his face.

Piers smiled as well, but thought, _Why the heck is he taking this so well? I mean, I know he's okay with Jenna, but I thought I was going to get annihilated for that comment. Maybe Felix is actually loosening up a bit!_

Felix continued, "Actually, Piers, for helping Jenna, I want to give you a little gift I had been saving for such an occasion."

"Oh?" Piers inquired. He quite liked gifts.

"Yes, it's a rare sword I found recently. I figured you would enjoy the upgrade, let me go get the chest I keep it in," Felix replied. He went to the corner of his room, and returned with a fairly large chest. "Go ahead, open it!"

So excited to receive a new sword, and even better, a gift from Felix, Piers missed the many signs of creepiness Felix was exerting and was completely unwary. So, when he opened the chest and immediately grasped the handle of the blade, the last thing he was expecting was a feeling of his muscles becoming completely frozen. After a few seconds of much gritting teeth, Piers managed to open his mouth.

"Fe-Felix? This sword seems to be cursed," Piers said with much effort. Felix smiled.

"Oh, really? We really need to get to the nearest sanctum and take care of that in….. ABOUT A WEEK!" He shouted, and kicked Piers in the shin very hard before walking out of the room with a malicious smile across his face, leaving Piers feeling a tremendous amount of pain and very, very foolish. _TEACH HIM TO THINK ABOUT MY SISTER IN THAT WAY,_ Felix thought as he headed toward the galley. Suddenly, a succulent odor caught his attention, and he froze. _Mmmmmm, someone made sausage. I know what I'm eating_!

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><p><em>I liked a lot about this chapter, and really think some of the editing helped it out. Felix and Jenna I think have a good relationship here. The only thing that really worries me here is Sheba's reaction may seem a bit overblown, but that is covered in the next chapter more thoroughly. As always, reviews are welcome, and thank you for reading!<em>


	3. Wait, So No Wedding?

Chapter 3: Wait, So No Wedding?

Jenna flittered down the hall way, her nervousness finding many ways to seep into her normally confident and sparky demeanor, whether it be her arm constantly rubbing her side, or her constantly stopping to admire paintings she had never given a second glance in order to delay her arrival to Sheba's room. She sighed, turning away from a particularly foreboding piece depicting a ship much too reminiscent of the one she was currently walking in being dragged into the ocean's cruel abyss by nearly a hundred curving and pitch black tentacles.

A ship being dragged down into the sea was something she could relate to all too well at the moment. Her heart, slowly quickening and quickening in tempo, felt like an anchor drawing any hope and cheer she could muster down to dark depths. In all honestly, she didn't know what the hell was happening. This morning she had been perfectly fine liking men; more than fine, she had spent a good give minutes imagining what Isaac must look like shirtless by now after all his adventuring, and picturing him sweeping her off her feet and then her melting into his arms as he gently kissed her.

How had that been replaced with confessing her feelings to a fourteen-year-old girl who fell from the sky, and moreover, whom Jenna helped kidnap? Suddenly, a grim realization had set in. She was outside Sheba's door. And what was worse, she could hear her crying inside, and they were not small tears. They were sobs, heartfelt and passionate, filled with longing only a child or someone childlike in nature could produce, and Jenna was incredibly torn as to what to do next.

The moment before she had heard Sheba's pleading cries, she had decided that she wasn't going to follow through with her confession. Honestly, it had hit her that she still didn't really know her depths for how she felt about Sheba. Sure, she found her cute, and had a small crush, but was that worth potentially making things incredibly awkward between them? Felix and Piers had seemed gun-ho about the entire situation, but maybe they thought that Jenna actually harbored a deep love for the beautiful girl whose door she now stood outside of, her hand nervously raised to knock. She didn't: it was the first time she had ever felt or really considered anything she had felt toward another woman. She still felt incredibly confused about the whole matter.

And now, of course, of all possible times, Sheba needed her. Jenna sighed, and knocked on the door loudly, the dull sound echoing down the hallway, and briefly halting the sobbing from within the room. And then, a sniffle (that held a cuteness Jenna couldn't help but silently giggle at), followed by Sheba's quivering voice. "Go away!"

Jenna bit her lip, staring anxiously at the doorknob. She had expected Sheba to be a little pissed off about the entire matter, to be sure, but why on earth was she crying? Jenna closed her eyes and breathed in a large gulp of air in preparation, then grabbed the door handle and slowly opened it, peeking just her head inside. There, on the bed and being swallowed by her comforter and bedsheets, sat Sheba, a pillow raised to her face, clenched to her chest, and blocking all but her red and bloodshot eyes.

"What part about 'go away' did you not understand?" She hissed, grabbing the sheets and pulling them over herself completely. Jenna walked over slowly, the two sides of her brain screaming in argument, one half begging her to run out of the room and the other pleading with her to run and embrace Sheba. Soon, Jenna found herself sitting on the bed, somewhat to her surprise. She moved her hand towards what appeared to be Sheba's back under the covers to give it a pat, her hand quivering and moving slowly, as if she were trying to grab delicate glass from a high shelf.

She finally made contact, and began to rub Sheba's back. Jenna blushed slightly at the contact, even if it was through two different layers of fabric. After a few moments of this awkward back pat, Sheba whipped the covers off of her and turned to scream at Jenna to get out of her room and leave her alone. However, she paused when she noticed that Jenna's face was as red as a strawberry.

"Oh, *sniff* great. Not only are you ignoring my requests to get out of my room, you're still being weird." Sheba glared at Jenna, and turned away from her. _Don't they get it? I want to be alone. They keep secrets from me, and then expect me to want to tell them my feelings?_

"Sheba… if it makes you feel better, I'll tell you why I've been being weird, as well as why Felix and Piers have been. It's nothing you did wrong. It's me." Jenna sighed and stared down at her legs. "But first, I want to know what's wrong with you. I understand you being upset, but why were you crying?"

Sheba averted her eyes from Jenna, and sighed as well. Jenna slowly turned to face her and smiled slowly. Even though she felt her face's hue darken when Sheba noticed and gave her a questioning look, the smile did not fade. "You're really beautiful, Sheba." It was Sheba's turn to blush.

"J-Jenna… don't be ridiculous, I'm not that pretty." The Jupiter Adept retorted quietly, absent mindedly twirling a strand of her short blonde hair. "I mean, I'm short, and my hairstyle is odd, to say the least. I'm not beautiful."

Jenna smiled and shook her head. "You're still young, so some parts still need filling out, especially your chest region, if you get the hint." Sheba's blush deepened, and Jenna giggled. _What do you know, flirting with girls is fun!_ She thought as Sheba shook her head in disagreement. "But you still look beautiful; I like your hair and especially your eyes. And being short is just another thing that will come with age. I mean, I looked like a messy tomboy when I was fourteen. And now look at me, I look like a princess!" Jenna stood up and began to make ridiculous bowing motions and prancing around the room as if she was royalty in an attempt to cheer her friend up. Sheba tried to keep up her angry front, but it failed and soon she was lost to giggles, before getting up herself and joining in on the fun.

They waltzed like this for a good minute, enjoying every second, sometimes bending over in laughter before continuing. Soon, they completely succumbed to laugher and collapsed on top of each other onto the bed. Sheba laid on top of Jenna, still silently giggling, while the older girl merely stared up at her crush, content to spend the rest of the day simply staring at her young and vibrant face, her sparkling green eyes, her small, curved nose, her delicate and slim purple eyebrows, her soft – oh so soft – lips that Jenna couldn't help but want to—

Kiss. There was an awkward pause as they both realized what had happened. Jenna had, without realizing it, lost control of her body and emotions and brought her lips to Sheba's. Jenna experienced a split second of amazement before the wonder of the kiss sank in, and her body crooned. It was like a soft jolt of electricity was being sent from her lips to every other part of her body, gently tingling and delighting her.

Sheba's mind was completely blown; for once, the quick-thinking Jupiter Adept had been caught completely and utterly off guard. After a second of confusion, Sheba jerked herself backwards, nearly flying off the bed. Jenna's face was nearly a brighter red than Garet's hair, and her eyes were wide with shock at what she had just done.

_That was so… goooood._ She thought to herself, and realized that after just one kiss, she had become aroused. _Hol-holy shit. Piers was right. I do like girls. _Jenna licked her lips. _I like girls a lot!_ Suddenly she broke out of her trance to see a very red and completely flabbergasted Sheba staring right at her… aroused expression. If Jenna's face had been the color of Garet's hair before, now it must have been the color of her own. _OH DAMN, DAMN, DAMN, I KISSED SHEBA AND SHE'S LOOKING AT ME LIKE I MURDERED A LITTER OF KITTENS. SHIT. DAMN IT. STUPID, STUPID, STUPID JENNA! WHY DID I DO THAT? _

_ Because it felt good_, she thought in response to her own question. _Because it felt better than anything I've done before in my entire life. Even when I would lie in bed and slowly slip by fingers between my legs, whispering Isaac's name… that felt fantastic, but this kiss… it's like my entire body is burning with pleasure. And it only lasted a second! _

Being the impulsive girl she was, and also considering she had been getting lost in her thoughts all day, Jenna had once again forgotten about Sheba, who eyed her uncertainly before timidly raising her hand to read her mind. Sheba did not know what made her brain explode in a frenzy of confusion more: the images, or the words. _I need to do that again. Hell, I need to do that a lot more times! I wonder if that's what it would feel like to kiss Isaac. Even so… he's not here right now, but this sexy little Jupiter Adept is – OH HOLY HELL SHE'S READING MY MIND MARS HELP ME!_

With a yelp, Sheba retreated from her friend's mind. Jenna stared at Sheba with a mix of anger at her mind being read, guilt at having her mind being read and kissing Sheba, arousal because by the gods she was horny, confusion because all of this had happened in less than two minutes, and fear that Sheba was about to run out of the room screaming for Felix. Sheba's mind had failed. She had been treated to several images of her nude body, Jenna kissing her, Jenna kissing her nude body, Jenna kissing Isaac, Isaac's nude body, then finally her AND Isaac kissing Jenna's nude body. Sheba was fourteen, and had only recently learned about sex. And, from everything she had learned, it had never mentioned a girl doing THAT to another girl. So, she was unable to process nearly all of the actual thoughts she had read, yet her mind was unable to stop focusing on the various erotic images she had just witnessed.

The two adepts now simply just stared at each other, both paralyzed by the awkward events that had just occurred. Finally, Sheba couldn't take the entire situation anymore and shouted, "WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?" She quickly closed her mouth and brought her hands to it in surprise: she hadn't meant to be that loud.

Jenna couldn't help but giggle at the motion: Sheba was just so damn cute. _So damn cute I want to rip off that tuni — focus Jenna, focus. _"…Sheba?" Jenna ventured slowly, and to help her case gave a somewhat shaky smile. Sheba didn't return the smile, but nodded. "I know I said you should tell me why you were crying and then I would tell you why I was being weird, but I think maybe we should take care of the latter first." Sheba nodded again, this time quickly. Her blush was starting to fade, and she felt the tension in the room dissolving. Obviously this was just some big misunderstanding, and Jenna would explain what had happened. They were the closest of friends, and nothing could change tha –

"I've been acting weird because, thanks to Piers, I realized I'm attracted toward girls. As in, I want to kiss them, and… other things. You know, like... I mean… the images I was thinking of… yeah." An awkward silence fell over the room. Jenna couldn't bear to look at Sheba. _Sigh. Maybe I should just leave before I screw things up any more._

"…So you have a crush on me? Like you do on Isaac?" Sheba asked innocently enough, only blushing after she realized what she had said. She had been thinking out loud more than actually speaking to Jenna, but the damage was done. Sheba grabbed her head in her hands. _This is way too confusing. Why did I just ask that? She's obviously just joking, getting me back for all the different pranks and times I've teased her. Any moment now, she'll start laughing that I actually fell for this whole thing. She likes girls! Ha, what a good one. I can't believe she actually kissed me though…_ Sheba exited her thoughts and chuckled. "Okay, good one Jenna, you got me. That's the only logical explanation: you're joking around and trying to get me back by freaking me out. I—" Sheba stopped speaking when she noticed Jenna's eyes start to water. _OH. SHIT._

"S-Sheba… I'm sorry. I'm not joking. I'm completely serious. That kiss… that kiss might have been the most wonderful moment of my entire life." Jenna paused, completely unsure of what to say next. "I mean, I still like guys, I think. But… after talking with Piers and Felix, and after feeling what I did after we… you know… I've come to grips with the fact that I'm attracted to you as more than a friend." Jenna sighed. Her spilling her heart out wasn't exactly how she had planned this day to go.

"Are you sure, Jenna?" Jenna turned her gaze toward her friend, and somehow knew at that moment what her answer was. Sheba looked frightened, confused, shocked. Jenna could see how hard she was trying to stay strong and calm, but it was failing. Jenna nodded slowly, and then scooted over so she was sitting directly by Sheba. The Jupiter Adept flinched visibly at the movement, but held her breath and didn't move when Jenna gently pulled her into a one armed embrace.

"You don't feel the same way, do you Sheba?" Jenna's voice was layered with melancholy, regret, and disappointment, but even then it still held the cheery nature she was known for, and more importantly, was filled with understanding. Before Sheba could respond, Jenna continued. "That's okay, if you don't. To be honest, that's what I expected. I've been an outcast my whole life, why would this be any different? But if you don't, I still want to be friends with you, still want to be part of your life. I'd like nothing to change but, hell, we just kissed, so—"

"You're wrong." Once again, Sheba's own words took her by surprise, but she kept speaking. "You're not an outcast. You're beautiful, and kind, and a good sister, and an ever better friend. The reason I was crying today Jenna, was… I felt hurt that you guys wouldn't tell me what was going on. Because you, Felix, Piers, and Kraden are the first friends I've ever had. The first people I could just be… me around. So, when no one would tell me, I felt betrayed. Now, I obviously see what you were keeping secret and why, but at that point I just…"

Sheba sighed, and slowly tears started to trickle down from her eyes, years of longing finally made visible. "All I ever wanted was friends. People who liked me for me, not because I was some kind of Goddess or holy child, but because I was me. And you guys do, and that means a lot to me." Sheba slowly wrapped her arms around Jenna, and pulled her into a tight embrace.

When Sheba broke the contact, she noticed that Jenna was happy, but, looked somewhat confused. Sheba quickly realized why. "Jenna, when I said 'you're wrong', I was talking about you being an outcast. Not me feeling the same way for you. I… I don't feel that way. I mean, you're like a sister to me, and I can't see you being anything more. Maybe in the future, who knows? But I've only recently developed feelings for a guy, and I've barely begun to explore those."

"Felix," Jenna said; it was a statement more than a question. Sheba blushed slightly and nodded, remembering her numerous conversations with Jenna of the subject of her growing feelings toward her brother.

"I'm sorry Jenna, if I had known how you felt, I wouldn't have talked to you about that. It must have been hard on you."

Jenna raised her eyebrows questioningly before realizing what Sheba meant. "No, no, it's not like that. I mean, I felt weird about it for some reason, but to be honest I didn't realize the depths for my feelings toward you till this morning. Also, I don't mind you and Felix getting together." Jenna smiled and ruffled Sheba's hair. "But he might. He seems to think you're a little young for him," The Mars Adept teased, and Sheba sighed. She had figured as much.

"Jenna?" Sheba sounded slightly worried, and Jenna gave her a reassuring smile. Truth be told, Jenna had been concerned as to how the entire "confession" would turn out. She and Sheba were, truly, incredibly close, but even so Jenna had been deathly afraid that her revelation of feelings toward the younger adept would cause a tear in their relationship. Sheba continued, "What you just said about your feelings for me… how deep are they exactly? Like, do you love me?"

Jenna thought long and hard about the question, and with the answer came a small smile. "Do I love you? Yes." Sheba gasped and her eyes widened at the response, but Jenna continued. "Does that necessarily mean I love you romantically? No. Regardless of how you feel about me, I love you; as a friend first. But, you bring up a good point – how deep are my feelings for you? I mean…" Jenna sighed, and her body slumped slightly. Sheba frowned, and hesitantly reached out a comforting hand to her friend's shoulder. At this small act of compassion, Jenna perked up slightly, and smiled.

"I really like you Sheba. Being around you makes me happy, looking at you makes me happy, talking to you makes me happy. And, I guess, I assumed that those feelings, along with the discovery that I like girls, meant I liked you. I had my doubts, but the whole situation just seemed to… happen, and so I went with it. But, I'm still not sure exactly how I feel. I'm confused as to whether or not I just really like you as a friend, but also feel attracted toward you because you're attractive."

Sheba blushed at this, and asked, "So, you might just really like me as a friend, but were kind of tricked into believing it was something more because you were attracted to me physically?" Jenna gave an unsure nod, and Sheba giggled. "Jenna… even if you do feel that way, it doesn't have to change anything. I really don't want it to, actually. Like I said, our friendship means a lot to me. I'm not going to stop being your friend just because you have feelings beyond friendship for me. Sure, it might be a little awkward at times, but such if life. I know you'll respect my choice as well."

Jenna smiled. "Of course I will, Sheba. If you don't feel the same way, then I'm just glad I'm still your friend. I'm actually kind of anxious to put all of this behind us. Just… Mars, relationships are confusing as hell." Sheba nodded, and the two girls shared a quiet moment, looking into each others' eyes. Slowly, small smiles formed on their lips, before Sheba frowned slightly, bringing her fingers to her mouth. Jenna tilted her head in confusion, but before she could ask her what was wrong, Sheba asked, "So, you… really liked that kiss then? And… you really think I'm beautiful?"

Jenna laughed, ruffled her friend's hair, and said, "Sheba, you are a very, VERY good kisser. You'll make some young man very happy someday. I only pray that it's my brother. KIRIN he needs to get that stick out of his ass." Sheba laughed, as she was also a known lover of picking on Felix. "And I meant what I said about you being beautiful. You're also very wise for your age. And, just being around you… you're a really special person, Sheba. I'm proud and glad to be your friend." Sheba grinned at this, and laid her head on her best friend's shoulder. Jenna smiled as well, and even though it was slightly sad at first, it quickly blossomed into one of pure joy, and she wrapped her arm around Sheba.

They stayed like this for a long while, before Sheba, her mouth working faster than her mind, nearly ruined the moment by asking, "Umm, are we still going to change clothes around each other and shower at the same times?" However, at this moment, there was a knock on the door.

Jenna, ignoring Sheba's question and blushing slightly, asked, "Hello? Who's there?"

There was an awkward pause, before a voice from behind the door answered, "It's Felix."

"Oh," Jenna replied. "Uh… do you want to come in?"

There was yet another awkward pause, filled with Felix coughing, until he asked, "Um, you two are… decent, right? Like, you're not, in the middle of anything?" Both Jenna and Sheba looked at each other, each of their eyes already beginning to tear with silent laughter, and their hands stifling the silent giggles trying to escape from their lips.

Before Jenna could get enough of a grip to respond, Sheba whispered to her, "Follow my lead," and then began to moan passionately before crying out, "Ohhhh Jenna! Your body is so flawless… I can't believe it feels so good to kiss another girl."  
>It took Jenna several seconds to rein back her laughter, as she was currently imaging what the look on Felix's face must be like. When she did, she shouted, "Sheba! Be quiet, Felix will hear us! Ohhh, but your skin is so soft, and your ass is so firm and small. Let's get you out these clothes, and under these sheets." Sheba fell off the bed, both hands clamped over her mouth she was cracking up so hard, and tears streamed down her face. Jenna, meanwhile, had stuffed her face into a pillow, unable to control her laughter.<p>

Outside, they could both faintly hear the sound of Felix hyperventilating, as well as him muttering to himself. "Oh… sweet Venus, they're… for the love of Ramses, Sheba's only fourteen! And Jenna, this is the first girl she's ever been with! And they've only been together for, hell, less than an hour! And… they're already… exploring each others'…" Felix trailed off, unable to finish his sentence, as both Jenna and Sheba finally lost all control of themselves, bursting into laughter, Sheba once more rolling all around on the floor, and Jenna trying to crawl to the door to placate her very embarrassed brother.

After much effort, she reached it, her laughter somewhat subsided, and her partner in crime finally still, staring straight up at the ceiling and letting out a euphoric giggle every other second. Jenna opened the door to see a very moody looking Felix, who growled, "Not. Funny." Jenna partially lost it all over again, falling onto her older brother and using him as support. After she calmed down, and removed herself, he gulped, and asked, "So… are you two. You know. Together?"

Sheba and Jenna looked at each other, smiles playing across their lips at their leader's awkwardness. Jenna then responded, "Sadly, no, but it's probably for the best. What matters most is that we're friends. Hopefully, we can put this whole gay business behind us, at least for a little bit. I think I've had enough weird romance for a few weeks." Felix nodded, his face not betraying his relief that he was not going to have to worry about running into his sister and Sheba eating each others' faces off anytime soon on the all too cramped Lemurian Ship.

Sheba leapt to her feet, and made her way over to Felix. Smiling at him, she asked, "Felix, may I ask you a question?" He nodded, and before he could stop her she jumped up, wrapping her arms around his neck and bringing her lips to his, causing Felix's arms to fly out in shock. After a moment she let go and dropped to the ground, licking her lips before looking at Jenna and muttering, "Yep, just checking. Definitely guys for me. I'm going to go give Piers an apology, I'll see you guys later! Dinner should be… interesting, to say the least." Then, without another word the energetic young girl ducked under Felix and bolted down the hallway.

Felix stood with a dazed look on his face for several moments, before shaking his head and muttering, "You're all freaking insane. I never thought I'd say this, but I miss Saturos and Menardi, at least I KNEW what I was getting with them. I have reason to believe you're all simply trying to drive me nuts…" Jenna shook her head and giggled at her brother's grumpiness.

"Oh Felix," She said, smiling. "You shouldn't complain. You just got to kiss a very beautiful girl, and you know that deep, deep down you love how crazy we are."

Felix sighed, before nodding and saying, "Whatever you say, Jen. Are you okay? I know it must have been hard, getting rejected, and letting her know how you feel in the first place." His disgruntled face softened, and she could detect worry in his hazel eyes.

She eroded his fears with a serene smile, the cheery, carefree bursts of sunshine she was best known for, and replied, "Yes, I'm okay. It didn't work out, but there are plenty of fish left in the sea, both male and female. Maybe Isaac, but maybe someone I haven't even met yet. Either way, I think I'm good with romance for the next little while. Today was taxing enough."

Felix gave a sigh of relief, and nodded. "I'm glad. I was worried there. Also worried about Sheba trying to get with me, but it looks like that's one of those things I'll just have to deal with."

Jenna shook her head. "Oooh, a beautiful, smart, wonderful girl has a crush on you. What a shame! Who knows, maybe you like guys instead of girls. You never showed the least bit of interest in any back home."

Felix's face turned red, but before he could vehemently deny what she had just said, she turned to walk out of the room, and said as she did so, "As if. You're probably just waiting for the right girl. You and Piers would make a cute couple, though." And with that, his sister walked down the hallway, leaving the Venus Adept quite flustered.

He and Piers? No way. Completely ridiculous. "Oh, crap…" Felix muttered, turning toward the direction of his room. "Piers…" Looks like they were going to be making an emergency stop at a Sanctum.

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><p><em>Author's Note: True story, I've had this done for a while but for some reason just really didn't like it. I don't know. I run into this issue that after the second or third chapter I think I'm just screwing the entire story up. I guess it's something I just need to get over.<em>

_Anywho, this is a bit longer than the other two chapters (it's actually near their combined length) simply because I couldn't find a good cut off point. The first and second chapter were actually originally one chapter, but they did have a really nice cut-off point, so I chose to use that and split them up._

_I think, if you squint hard enough, you will see how close I really came to saying "screw it" and making this a Jenna and Sheba ship, because oh my goodness they are adorable. At the very least, I'm glad I gave them a kiss scene, and a really awkward one at that._

_Poor Felix. He just can't win. And if there seem to be Felix/Piers overtones in this, it's because I'm considering putting some Felix/Piers in here. I actually, for the most part, have this entire fic sorted out. Mostly. The only real issue is I have no idea how many chapters I want to put between this chapter and the chapter where the two parties are united (ie, when the plot really kicks off). Originally I was going to have none, but now I'm leaning toward one or two._

_Well, the old lightbulb just came on, and I realized what I need to do in regards to the plot. The next chapter will actually probably deal with Isaac's party. And then one more with Felix's, and then they are reunited. Or maybe a few with Isaac's before that. I digress (and yawn)._

_Things I'm really not sure about with this chapter: both of their characterizations, the pacing, the dialogue (there's too damn much of it in my opinion), whether or not the resolution felt natural. Yeah. I'd appreciate heavy criticism, I feel like there's something terribly wrong here but I'm not sure what._

_Oh, also worth mentioning Kraden is either sleeping or reading during this entire ordeal. I didn't put him in any of these three chapters because, well, he just didn't fit. He will show up at some point: he always does. He is Kraden, after all._

_Okay, enough ranting. Hope you enjoyed the story, this is kind of the end of the first arc or third or quarter, reviews are welcome as always._


	4. Just a Big Lug

Chapter 4: Just a Bit Lug

_So, first chapter (I could not come up with a decent title for this one) with Isaac's party. Should be interesting. Um… I have nothing to say for once. Really exhausted, had to go through a bunch of crap tonight, but I wanted to get this up because I'm a stubborn SOB and I said I was going to get it up tonight. Let's get the ball rolling._

* * *

><p>Mia nonchalantly ducked her head, avoiding what was, if she had counted correctly, the fifteenth fireball she had been forced to dodge in the last hour. She sighed as she did so, and shook her head. Garet, breaking off his Psynergetic duel with Ivan for the fifteenth time that day, sheepishly grinned and shouted, "Sorry Mia! He's just so darn fast!" This time, he didn't bother waiting for her reply, sending out a fearsome inferno toward his opponent, Ivan.<p>

_Boys_, Mia thought to herself, as she watched the same scene unfold once more: Garet flinging wave after wave of Mars Psynergy at Ivan, who would dodge most of it and dissipate the rest with his wind. It had been quite amusing, the first few times: after Garet was drained, rather than admitting defeat he would run up and down the deck to regain his Psynergy Points so he could start his assault anew. While he did this, Ivan would chat with Isaac, who was wisely sitting behind Garet, meaning he didn't have to deal with fireballs constantly zooming near his face.

Mia sighed. She had found such a beautiful spot where the sunlight grazed her face just the way she liked it, light enough so that she wasn't blinded, but strong enough so that her skin hummed with the soft warmth of Sol. She had loved the sun in Imil, but it and its rays had been a rare commodity, and even when they were graced with sunlight it was still freezing out most of the time.

If only they would stop their childish game (they called it training, but she thought it too dangerous to risk using powerful Psynergy against one another), she could recline in peace, but it looked like she would be better served moving to a new spot.

She was rudely torn from her thoughts by a shout. "MIA, WATCH OUT!" Mia had no time to move out of the way of the incoming fireball, and, in a last ditch effort to shield her face, summoned a coating of water in front of it. That partially did the job, absorbing most of the flames, but not all of them. She cringed as the fire burnt her face, and quickly summoned more water to put it out, before beginning to cast Ply again and again.

She was vaguely aware of three pairs of feet dashing toward her, and as she finished her healing, her face now fine (minus eyebrows, which she could grow back later), she prepared to tell Garet off. Mia was not the kind of person who yelled often, but she knew when to be stern, and even though she should have seen this result coming and gotten out of the way, it didn't make her any less miffed at the fact Garet had just thrown a fireball into her face.

Before she could begin to address Garet, he dropped down onto his knees and sputtered out, "Mia, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to do that, we shouldn't have been so careless and throwing out Psynergy around like you told us not to, are you okay?"

Mia, slightly taken aback by his sudden apology, replied after a few seconds, "Oh, um, yes, I'm fine. Just… be more careful, okay?" Ivan, realizing she was indeed okay, let out a snicker at Garet's accident, while Isaac gave his best friend a stern look and a light punch to the shoulder.

Garet sighed at their responses, but ignored them, and said, "I will Mia, I promise. I was so worried I hurt your beautiful face."

_Oh_ _Mercury, damn my pale skin, I must look like a strawberry,_ Mia thought as she fought her inevitable blush at his compliment; she prided herself on her modesty, and nearly always blushed when complimented. This was somewhat of a problem, as she seemed to get complimented very often indeed. This thought caused her to blush even deeper, and shaking her heads out of the clouds, she began to get up.

Garet, a look of worry and guilt still drawn across his usually cocky and carefree countenance, offered a hand that she gladly took. After she was on her feet, he seemed more relieved, and gave her a warm smile before turning to Ivan and shouting, "I want a rematch! This time, weapons only!"

"What? Are you crazy! I can't beat you in weapons only comba – oh crap!" Ivan shouted as Garet's axe landed where the young Jupiter Adept had been a split second prior.

"Nice dodge!" Garet said, a pumpkin grin on his face; it was widely known how greatly he enjoyed throwing his notoriously heavy weapons around. "Safety first, though. Protect!" The Mars Adept raised his hand, and Psynergy quickly coated both him and Ivan. "There, now we won't be able to injure each other severely…" As Garet trailed off, he began to swing wildly once more, and Ivan dashed away from him.

Mia rolled her eyes, but in reality was silently amused. Yes, Garet was a little reckless, and more than a little blunt, but there was more underneath. It just took a little while to… unearth his better qualities. For the first two months she had traveled with the party, she had slowly simmered as he had somehow managed to put forth every aspect of males she detested; obnoxiousness, rude language, eating too fast and certainly too much, boasting, etc.

Well, not everything she detested about males… Alex certainly had been quite the opposite of how Garet had acted those months, and she don't know if she could every bring herself to despise someone more than her former apprentice. How could he just…

Mia sighed. She had dwelled on Alex enough, she needed to keep him from her mind. Garet had turned out to be the opposite of him, though. While Alex was all niceties on the outside, on the inside he was cold and brutal as the weather they had grown up in. Garet, on the other hand, was a big loveable lug underneath all his masculine showboating.

After the initial two months, in which Mia had bonded well with Isaac and Ivan, the Mars Adept and her were still on somewhat bad terms. Or, she barely spoke to him, and often ignored him. That had changed when, during a restock run at Kalay's market, a thief had stolen Mia's ceremonial Imillian robes when she was trying on other clothing.

She could not pursue, as she was still wearing the store's clothing, and had nothing else to change into, so Ivan, Isaac, and Garet had bravely put on chase. Thirty minutes later, a very winded Isaac (who, after a minute of hard breathing, managed to sputter out he had never been a runner) returned to her empty-handed, and was followed by an equally winded Ivan shortly after.

She had been dismayed, fearing her robes lost. However, as she frowned, she had realized Garet had not returned yet, and, fearing for him, despite their rocky relationship, had asked Ivan what had happened to him, and how a thief had managed to outrun them. After both the boys exclaiming the thief had been faster than anyone they had seen in their entire life, Ivan had relayed that Garet had still been running when he had given up.

Faced with no other option, Mia had purchased the shirt and skirt she had been trying on, and they had waited for Garet's return. Hours had gone by steadily as day began to wane, and Mia had grown incredibly worried. What if the thief had been carrying a knife, and had killed Garet, or what if he had over-exerted himself running, as he had been known to push himself too hard, and was now lying in a ditch with no way to move?

Just as the sun began to set, and it had been six hours since the robbery had occurred, a sight none of them had expected to see came down the main road: Garet, carrying the thief on his shoulders, wearing a triumphant but exhausted smile. His face had been just as red as his hair and his entire body had been shining as the remaining sunlight bounced off his thick sweat.

She, Ivan, and Isaac had shared looks of complete shock and surprise as he had made his way over to them slowly, panting like a dog. Mia had been forced to pinch her nose, so great was the stench radiating from the Mars Adept. Once he had reached them, he unceremoniously dumped the thief onto the ground, and kicked him in the ribs for good measure.

She, still shocked by the turn of events, had asked him what had happened. He had simply grinned, handed over her robes, and promptly collapse onto the ground in exhaustion. Before they had been able to react, a townsfolk and came up to them and exclaimed that the man at their feet was the famous thief Galuf the Swift, self proclaimed and generally accepted by the numerous guards who had tried to catch him as the fastest man in all of Weyard.

Their jaws had dropped further at this revelation, and they had taken the Galuf to the local prison before checking in at the inn. It had been a memorable day, to be certain, but the night had, perhaps, been even more interesting. Mia remembered it well:

_Mia sighed as she exited Garet and Ivan's room at the inn, having spent the last few hours healing the Mars Adept. Truth be told, there was not much she could do, as exhaustion was something that the body, for the most part, had to naturally deal with, but she had been compelled to give it her best go. Truth be told, she was still confused as to his actions; in the month she had known him, Garet had seemed anything but heroic to her. Sure, he had fought valiantly and defended all of them in combat, but outside of that he had been an oaf and nothing else. _

_ Why then, had he outrun the fastest thief in all of Weyard to get her robe? Furthermore, how COULD he outrun the fastest thief in all of Weyard? Garet was by far the slowest person in their party, and while he had great endurance, he had outrun Ivan, who was by far the fastest person in their party. It just didn't add up. _

_ Not one to leave a strange situation alone, Mia decided to do what she always did whenever she needed to think something over: talk to Isaac. Of course, she had used to talk to Alex about her troubles… back when he had been willing to listen to her. Before he had left. She shook him from her mind as she knocked on the room she and Isaac shared._

_ All three boys had agreed they were perfectly fine sharing a room and allowing Mia one to herself on the nights they stayed at inns, but she had felt bad, taking a room for herself and forcing one of them to sleep on the floor. So, she had stated she would be content with rooming with Isaac, causing Ivan to let out a groan, as that means he would be forced to share a room with Garet (Ivan and Isaac or Isaac and Garet had roomed together previously, as Garet and Ivan bickered like an old married couple), and Garet had let out a groan, presumably because he had been looking forward to being in close contact with a girl. This had caused Mia to give Garet quite the glare, naturally. _

_ She had no issue sharing a room with Isaac, though sharing a bed was admittedly a little awkward, especially the night she had woken up gripping him tightly after having a particularly painful dream regarding Alex. He had, of course, offered to take the floor the first night they had roomed together, but she had refused, blushing a slight bit as she did so. _

_ Besides that one night though, things had gone fine. She trusted Isaac more than she had trusted anyone before in her entire life despite only knowing him for two months. Truth be told, she was fine with him simply turning around when she changed, but being the gentlemen he was, he always opted to leave the room._

_ Their relationship was purely platonic, at least as far as Mia was concerned. Isaac was the brother she had always wanted, completely stable, always there for her and everyone else when they needed help. Much like Alex had been, but Isaac was different, and she could feel it. It was so visible in the way that everyone around him followed him, how they looked to him when unforeseen events happened, how, even with how little he spoke, he was able to quickly gain friendships. _

_ Mia certainly thought he was quite nice, probably one of the nicest people she had ever met, but she simply wasn't interested in him romantically. Maybe she would be, if it weren't for Jenna. Isaac and Mia often talked late at night, and he often brought up the fiery girl their enemies had kidnapped. It hadn't taken more than a minute of him talking about her for Mia to tell he was in love with her, or at least crushing terribly hard. At the least, they were the best of friends, and Mia was happy for him, and hoped that they would end up together when they inevitably rescued her from Saturos and Menardi. _

_ Mia was very interested in meeting Jenna; both Garet and Isaac made her sound very nice, and Mia had always favored girls to boys for company. Alex had been the exception, and his disappearance had led to her mostly avoiding the opposite sex. However, she found Isaac and Ivan perfectly pleasant to be around, and she supposed Garet couldn't be all bad if he had gotten her robe back for her. _

_ The one issue with Isaac and her sharing a room was that, while Mia saw him as nothing more than a friend, Isaac had… slightly different feelings. She would catch him stealing quick glances at her; at her face, for that matter. Isaac was a gentlemen, and would never take advantage of their rooming to take peaks at the… feminine aspects of body. _

_ But, it was clear he had developed feelings for her. She believed that he was aware that her feelings for him were that of friendship, and that he would not in any circumstance try to start a relationship with her: he was committed to Jenna. However, Mia felt bad for having to make things awkward for him by sharing a room with him: if she had known he would develop romantic feelings for her, she certainly wouldn't have asked to room with him. _

_ She waited patiently in front of the room, but there was no response. Rather than entering or knocking again, she turned around and walked down the stairs of the inn, and outside. Sure enough, Isaac was in a small courtyard, sitting on a bench and staring up at the sky. They had spent many nights staring up into the sky, discussing their quest and their lives._

_ She walked over, and gently sat down next to him. He turned his gaze from the sky and gave her a warm smile. "How's our resident long distance runner doing?" He asked, and she giggled._

_ "He's fine: he wasn't actually injured whatsoever, just worn out in every sense of the word. To be honest, I still can't believe he actually ran all that way," Mia replied, her arms wrapped around her robe. She couldn't imagine not having it, her mother had made it for her when she was young, as was Imillian tradition, to be given to her on her sixteenth birthday. Of course, she hadn't been alive to hand it to Mia as was customary, but that had only increased the meaning it held in her heart._

_ It was all she really had left of her mother, and it meant so much to her for that reason. When she was feeling down, or had dealt with a great spell of illness during her healing duties, or for no real reason at all, she would press the soft and thick fabric to her face and breathe in deeply. Even after all these years, the robe her mother had sewn so delicately and with so much love still held her sweet scent. The soft scent always brought tears to her eyes, but they were tears of joy, in many ways._

_ "Do you mean you can't believe he did it physically, or conceptually?" Isaac asked, bringing his gaze back to the stars. _

_ "Well… both," She answered honestly. She knew how much Isaac cared for Garet, and while he was much too observant to not notice her distaste for his best friend, she tried to hide it for the most part, and never brought it up when speaking with him. Most people assumed Mia was entirely benevolent, but she had, as did everyone, a darker nature that she kept to herself. _

_ Nothing terrible: it was just that she didn't like certain people, and thought what she considered… impure thoughts from time to time. She knew she shouldn't beat herself up over it, but she couldn't help it. She was supposed to be a Cleric, and it did not befit healers such as herself to think anything that held the slightest vein of pettiness or malice. _

_ "The two are kind of related, actually," Isaac said, his serene blue eyes scanning the night sky. "I realize you and Garet haven't gotten off on the best foot."_

_ Mia sighed. She had hoped to avoid this conversation. "Isaac, it's no issue, I've gotten used to it for better or worse: I don't want to do anything to bring trouble to the party, and it's clear to me he has no idea his behavior bothers me so much, so please don't mention it to him."_

_ Isaac chuckled, and shook his head. "Oh, he knows it bothers you. It's… complicated. Garet seems very shallow, but that's really not the case at all. It's just how he presents himself." Mia wanted to ask him what he meant, but he continued. "Garet is able to do just about anything he puts his mind too, and even when he can't do something, it doesn't stop him from trying. I recall a wonderful instance when we were fourteen, and he nearly burst a blood vessel by concentrating on a pebble for fifteen hours straight, trying to teach himself Venus Psynergy and to get it to move."_

_ Mia gasped. "Is he mad? You can't teach yourself Psynergy you're not naturally attuned to! Everyone knows that… why was he trying to learn it in the first place?"_

_ Isaac's smile at the memory quickly turned into a frown. "…after the boulder killed Jenna's family and my father, me and Garet…" He swallowed, and Mia bit her lip._

_ "Isaac, I'm sorry, you don't have to-"_

_ "No, it's okay Mia, it's the past, and I need to accept it. Garet and I… Garet and I devoted ourselves to learning Psynergy, so that nothing like that tragedy would ever happen again. We were both dedicated, but, Garet blamed himself for what happened that night. I blamed myself as well to an extent, but Garet, it was different for him. He felt guilty, because he didn't lose anyone. So, he tried to teach himself as much Psynergy as he could, including that of the Venus variety. When Jenna found him after those fifteen hours, his face was the same color as his hair, much like after his run today. Jenna really let him have it too, especially when he told her the reason why he was trying so hard. _

_ "… You haven't seen this side of him Mia, but Garet is probably the most caring person I've ever met. Jenna went through some really, really hard times after her family died, and we both did all we could to support her, but he always took it a step further. He would go out of his way to be as goofy as possible to make her giggle, and more or less learned her entire schedule and checked up on her every hour of the day."_

_ Mia tilted her head in confusion. "Just to say hi to her, or…?"_

_ Isaac sighed, and shook his head. "No, Mia. It was because… Jenna tried to kill herself, twice." Mia let out a small gasp, and held her hand in front of her mouth. Isaac had told her of the troubles they had gone through after the boulder, but she had never known that Jenna had nearly committed suicide. _

_ "The first time was during another storm: she jumped into the river where… where they all died, and Garet, after he heard, jumped in after her, which was really dangerous because the current was deadly fast. He actually had to get through at least ten full grown men who were trying to hold him back to do so, too. I thought he was a goner, as Mars Adepts are NOT good swimmers, and he was just as traumatized of water as she was after that day; I nearly jumped in myself to try to rescue both of them. Yet, somehow, two minutes later, Garet pulled himself onto the other shore, and sure enough Jenna was with him. The Great Healer made his way over as quickly as he could… and after a minute, pronounced her dead."_

_ Mia let out another gasp. "But then, how did she survive?"_

_ Isaac smiled and shook his head. "Remember when I told you that Garet refuses to give up, even when he knows the outcome is inevitable? Well, when the Great Healer said that, Garet pushed him out of the way, lowered himself to Jenna's side, closed his eyes, and began trying to cast healing Psynergy. The Healer and everyone else tried to reason with him, telling him she was gone, but he refused, and he was squeezing his fists so hard I thought they were going to explode. And then, somehow, he began to glow with a beautiful, serene golden light, raised his hand, and calmly whispered, 'Revive.' The golden light flew into Jenna, and a moment later she was blinking, breathing softly, and most certainly alive."_

_ Mia could not keep the shock off her face. "But… he's a Mars Adept! He must have had a Venus Djinn on him."_

_ "Nope," Isaac responded, shaking his head. "No Djinn. No Psynergy bestowing equipment. A fourteen year old Mars Adept, who had never cast Venus Psynergy in his life, and had completely exhausted himself and nearly drowned, cast probably the most powerful and difficult to use Venus Psynergy known to man, that most Venus Adepts don't learn till they're thirty. Garet didn't care. No, that's not right, all he did was care. He cared so much he broke the laws of the damn universe just to keep his friend alive. He was in a coma for a week, and Jenna was distraught, but sure enough he woke up, and immediately asked for enough food to feed a small army."_

_ Mia giggled. "That sounds more like the Garet I know… but I can't believe he did all that. Such use of Psynergy, it's unheard of!"_

_ "I know," Isaac replied. "We looked back in the history books to see if he had any ancestors who were Venus Adepts. Couldn't find a single one, and the book went back at least four centuries."_

_ "That's… just… wow…" Mia stuttered. She was at a complete loss for words._

_ "And then," Isaac continued, "a year later, she slashed her wrists, and Garet found her bleeding out. This time, thankfully, he didn't have to break the laws of nature, as he got her to the Great Healer in time. This time, though, Garet went through the entire town, and picked every flower he could find. When Jenna woke up the next day in her house, every spot on the floor and most of the walls were covered with flowers. Kay, his sister, nearly strangled him when she found out, as he had obliterated her garden, until she figured out WHY he had done it. Then she burst into tears and called him the best little brother of all time."_

_ "That's so sweet," Mia said, imaging how much that much have meant to Jenna, and how loved that must have made her feel. "So… the reason Garet ran after the thief was because he cares about me?"_

_ Isaac swallowed, and shrugged. "Um, yeah, you know…"_

_ "Isaac," Mia said firmly, and he gulped again. They both knew that Mia was able to get him to tell her nearly anything, and this was one of those cases. "This directly pertains to me, so I need to know. Please."_

_ Isaac sighed and nodded. "Yes, he does. Garet heard you talking a few days ago about how important your robes are to you, with your mother having sewn them for you, so… when it got stolen, he ran as hard as he could. Like, it wasn't just endurance: he was running FASTER than Ivan."_

_ Mia suddenly felt guilty: she had no idea he actually…well, cared. "I didn't think… well…"_

_ "That he cared?" Isaac supplied, and she nodded. "To be honest, Mia, Garet doesn't normally act like the way he's been acting the last two months. Usually he's a bit of a doofus, but not to the level he has been. Garet just… well… he acts like that around girls he likes. As in, girls he has crushes on."_

_ Mia felt her face warm. If there was anything she hadn't been expecting, that was it. "O-Oh," She stuttered. _

_ "I, um, didn't want to tell you because Garet is pretty sure you hate him, and didn't want to cause any awkward feelings… but he feels bad about the way he's been acting."_

_ "Why does he act like that, though?" She questioned._

_ "I'm not really sure. Well, I mean… Garet's always put up a bit of a front around people. Because his grandfather is the mayor, he's always felt a lot of pressure, and he just feels awkward around girls. So, he puts up a front where people won't want to get to know him: he's afraid that people won't be able to get past his kind of goofy demeanor, or will mock him for being sensitive. He kind of acted like that around Jenna… and then she beat the crap out of him, and then when she found out WHY he acted like that, she beat the crap out of him again."_

_ Mia giggled, and Isaac chuckled too. "I know, it was a funny day. He had a crush on Jenna, but eventually it faded. It didn't stop them from being the best of friends though. So, back to you, he just acts like a really stereotypical male moron around you because… I don't know, it's hard to explain. Some guys just act really dumb around girls they like; it's a disease, really."_

_ Mia let out a full laugh, and replied, "Well, my seventeen years of disliking boys makes a lot more sense now. Well, I mean, not to say they all had crushed on me or anything…"_

_ "That's not too far-fetched," Isaac said with a smile, and Mia punched him lightly in the shoulder. "I'm serious! You're beautiful, Mia." _

_ "Isaac, you're making me blush…" She muttered, but a small smile found her lips. _

_ "M-Mia?" Isaac started after a few seconds of silence._

_ "Yes, Isaac?" Mia replied, turning to face him. She was surprised to see him looking more nervous than he she had seen him in all of their month of traveling together. _

_ "I… I really like you. Like, I'm dedicated to Jenna, because I know she feels the same way about me, but, that doesn't change the fact that I have feelings for… well, you." Mia smiled. Isaac was adorable when he was flustered. _

_ "But… I can't act on them because of Jenna and because of the way Garet feels about you. So, I just… I just wanted to let you know that, okay?"_

_ "O-okay…" Mia replied, confused as to where he was going with this._

_ Isaac, seeing her reaction, cringed, and put his head in his hands. "Oh Gods, Mia, I'm sorry, I don't know how I let this happen, I really appreciate you, and I know it's hard, that we can't be together. I shouldn't have… I shouldn't have led you on, and—"_

_ Mia giggled, breaking Isaac out of his rant. "Isaac," she said with a warm smile, cheery at how sweet and caring he had been, and finally realizing what he was talking about, "I'm fine with us just being friends. To be honest, I'm not sure if I have romantic feelings for you at all. To me, you're more like a brother. You mean a lot to me, though. I'm really glad I met you, as well as Ivan and… and Garet."_

_ Isaac let out a sigh of relief, and smiled. "Thank Venus, I thought I was breaking your heart for a second there. I'm happy to have met you too, Mia. You're one of the most beautiful people I've ever met." She blushed at this, and they shared a hug. "This also leads me to wonder though," He whispered as they parted. "Would you consider giving Garet a chance?"_

_ Mia bit her lip, thinking over his question. If Garet truly had a side to him she hadn't seen before, perhaps, maybe, she could date him, or at least give him a shot. True, she hadn't liked many boys in her past, but maybe she had just needed to find the right one. _She had thought Alex was… but then… what about… she sighed, trying to focus on Garet rather than the past._ It certainly had been sweet how he had ran so far to get back her robe, and all because he knew how much it meant to her. _

_ "I, I think I will," She said hesitantly after a few moments. "But, I think I need to get him to act like himself around me first. Hopefully not by beating him up, as I can't imagine I could anyway, but maybe I can talk him out of it."_

_ Isaac nodded. "Good. Just… um…" Isaac rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Could you not bring up you know how he feels about you? He'd kind of kill me…" Mia giggled, and nodded. "Good," Isaac said with relief, and then rubbed his forehead. "I'm so happy this whole him acting different thing is going to stop. It's been more than a little grating."_

_ Mia rolled her eyes. "I would tend to agree," she said with a grin. They both shared a laugh, and after their laughter died both of them rose. _

_ "Well, I think I'm off to sleep," Said Isaac with a stretch. "Same for you, or are you going to find Garet?"_

_ Mia shrugged, and replied, "I think I'll leave it till the morning. Maybe I'll just stop by their room, and make sure he's okay before I go to sleep though." Isaac nodded, and they walked back into the inn and climbed the stairs. They shared another quick hug, exchanged goodnights, and then Isaac opened their room door and entered it, leaving Mia all alone in the hallway._

_ She turned to face Ivan and Garet's room, and sighed. She still honestly couldn't believe that Garet really… cared so much for her. She felt terrible for automatically assuming he was just some dumb guy. Then again, he had been kind of a doofus… but now, she would give him his chance. Well, in the morning. She didn't want to wake him up, just to check to make sure he was doing alright physically. As, her hand reached for the doorknob though, her motion was halted by Ivan's voice coming from inside._

_ "So, you've really fallen for her, huh?"_

* * *

><p><em>In all honesty, I can completely see Garet being a complete chauvinistic moron around women for really stupid reasons such as that. He's impossible to not love, though. It's interesting, the minute character differences between him and Tyrell. I feel like they're both different in a lot of ways, but I can't tell WHAT those ways are… odd. Obviously, we don't get much Garet in this chapter, well, I mean, not counting stories about him and the like. Don't worry, he'll play a bigger role next time.<em>

_Ah, the one-sided Mud Ship. So sad, no matter which way it ends up. At least Isaac has Jenna… maybe. :P_

_I'm not sure how much Mia's character came out here, but hopefully it was at least somewhat noticeable and well formed. A lot of this turned into Isaac, but oddly enough mostly just him talking about other people. I still think he got a lot of good characterization in though. Hopefully._

_My biggest worry here is they get into a lot of somewhat one sided dialogue halfway through, and I hope it didn't throw a wrench in the pacing. The other worry is I decided to split the chapter while it was in the flashback or else it would have been really big._

_I would have more to say if I wasn't so tired. Probably a good thing, though, after some of the ranting I've been doing. On that note, I'll leave off. As always, reviews are welcome, and thank you for reading!_


	5. Breaking the Surface

Chapter 5: Breaking the Surface

_Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays :) ! After way too long, here's an update. I apologize. A mix of finals and then Zelda derailed me, but it's here now. I keep updating this fic on important days. Posted it on my birthday, now updating on Christmas. Just noticed that. Anyway, I hope everyone's doing well and enjoying the holidays. I'm also going to try to blaze through a Christmas themed one-shot (I actually have plans for two) today, so possibly look out for that. It depends on whether or not I spend the entire day playing Ocarina of Time._

_Moving on, I changed it in the last chapter so this flashback takes place two months after Mia had joined the party (I also changed a few other things, but nothing significant). I've had a wonderful time trying to sort out the damn timeline in my head, so here's what it basically boils down to for me in terms of months: 1=Mia join party, 3=this flashback occurs, 5=Venus Lighthouse battle, 6=where they are in present time and where Felix's party was in this fic, 9=Jupiter Lighthouse, 12=when they light Mars Lighthouse. I feel like the entire journey would take… about a year? Maybe I'm crazy, I don't know, that seems correct to me._

_I changed it to two months simply because Isaac and Mia seemed way too close to only have know each other for a month. I mean, yes, the ties of battle and traveling together lead to really close relationships, but I think a month was a stretch. Does that timeline make sense? Obviously I left out some things from the 6-12 month range because they haven't occurred yet, but they will come. This fic actually goes past Mars Lighthouse, so there that is as well._

_Finally, before I stop rambling, makaxcrona brought up in his/her review that originally this seemed like a Sheba/Jenna fic, and now seems like a Jenna/Isaac fic, and, after this chapter, a Garet/Mia. It's a yuri fic. But I seldom make it only one ship through a whole shipping fic; I like to add in one-sided shipping and one-and-a-half-sided (when two people kind of like each other or one likes one and the other kind of likes them) shipping to keep things interesting, and because it makes sense. It's just how I roll. I updated the character list, and will point out the title if anyone is wondering what the final main pairing may look like. "A Gentler Steam". Steam Shipping, but different. That's as far as I'm going to go without blatantly stating it. But, I mean, Jenna and Mia gotta be the main characters for a reason, right? ;) Onward, then._

* * *

><p><em> Mia froze, realizing then nature of the conversation she was walking into. She began to slowly retract her hand in midair away from the door handle; after all, eavesdropping, while not a crime, was certainly deplorable. Even if the discussion did concern her.<em>

_ "…Shut up Ivan," Came Garet's reply, but it was very subdued, not at all possessing the fiery disposition she was used to. "You know it's a sore spot for me."_

_ "Garet, in all honesty," Ivan replied. "You should just stop acting like such a buffoon around her and tell her how you feel."_

_ Mia dully noted that, while her hand had returned to her side, she had not moved. On the contrary, her feet seemed to be rooted to the spot. She knew she would regret listening in on their conversation, but she needed to know the truth about Garet. Or, needed to confirm it. She believed Isaac, but she was still confused as to who Garet WAS exactly as a person. Before she could decide to stay or leave, the continued conversation seeping through the door found her ears once more._

_ "She wouldn't feel the same way. I see the way she looks at me…" Garet trailed off, and sighed._

_ Mia flinched at his words; they were in no way meant as an insult to her, she knew, but they stung. He sounded dejected… why had she not even given him a chance to, at the least, form a friendship?_

_ Ivan answered by saying, "The only reason she looks at you like that is because you act terribly around her. If you were just yourself around her, for all you know you might be dating by now. To be honest, Isaac and I are getting a little sick of it too."_

_ "I know…" Garet replied sullenly, and Mia felt her heart wrench. What if it wasn't him? What if it was her? The same thing had happened with Alex: he had hid who he was, and it had set him upon the path of evil he was now walking on. What if she caused this in people?_

_ Before she could further her thoughts, Garet's voice and the opening of the door in front of her ripped her from them. "I'm going to go for a walk, we can talk about Mia—" Mia's eyes widened as she came face to face with Garet, whose mouth dropped open in surprise._

_ "I-I was just coming back from a-a walk," Mia sputtered out, quickly uttering the first lie that came to her mind._

_ "I don't even need to read your mind to question the truth of that statement," Ivan said, peeking through one of the small windows of space in the doorway that weren't blocked by Garet's massive body. _

_ Mia fought to keep a blush off her face, and began to form another reply when Garet turned around, knocked Ivan over with a brush of his hand, and angrily chided, "If Mia says she was on a walk, she was on a walk. How dare you accuse her of lying!" He froze after speaking, and held out a hand to Ivan after he realized he had knocked him on the floor._

_ The Jupiter Adept took it begrudgingly, and kept silent; Mia could tell he was silently fuming over being pushed to the ground. If she hadn't still been very embarrassed at being discovered eavesdropping, she would have giggled, but she held her tongue. Garet turned back to her, and asked, "Um, so, did you want anything? Like, you are outside our door, so…"_

_ Mia coughed, and whispered, "Well, I was coming to see if you were feeling better…"_

_ "Oh, yeah!" Garet said loudly, causing a resident of a nearby room to shout angrily, "KEEP IT DOWN!" _

_ "SO-rry," Garet replied, at first with another shout, but lowering his voice midway through. "But, yeah, I am feeling much better. I was actually about to go for a walk."_

_ "Are you sure that's a good idea… you were very exhausted. Running as fast and as long as you did taxed you incredibly heavily," Mia responded; her entire life she had been watching people's health for them, and there was no way she was letting him go out for a night-time walk alone based on how drained he had been a hour prior._

_ "Well, if you don't think I should, I guess I won't," Garet said, shrugging. "I just… had some stuff on my mind."_

_ "If you'd like, perhaps we could find somewhere to talk. I wanted to thank you for getting my robe back," Mia said, speaking as quickly as she could before she could stop herself. _

_ "Uh… oh, yeah. That's be great. I guess. Um. Now?" Mia mentally cursed at his blabbering. Why hadn't she seen it earlier? He was crushing: and hard. The thought made her blush, and it only deepened when she recalled what Isaac had said earlier. Was it true that she actually garnered that much attraction from the opposite sex? _

_ "Uh, Mia?" Garet questioned. "Is that a yes or a no?"_

_ "Oh, um, yes, now would be fine. Actually, yes, let's do it now. Talk," Mia said, still talking much faster than she normally did. _

_ "Okay, cool," Garet said, then turned to Ivan once more. "Think you'll sleep okay without the sound of my snoring lil' buddy?"_

_ "Oh, I'm sure you'll make up for however long you're out with even worse snoring when you come back," Ivan replied jokingly. "I swear, one of these days I'm just going to take a few corks and seal up your nose. They'd probably just explode out, but still."_

_ Mia giggled, and Garet rolled his eyes, no doubt tired of the constant teasing he received. The three exchanged pleasantries, and then Mia and Garet headed for the stairs as Ivan gently closed the door and went to bed._

_ The two Adepts walked in absolute silence as they descended the stairs and made their way to the inn's door. Mia walked behind the large young man, wondering what on earth was going to happen when it came to their conversation. _

_ Her thoughts were drawn to all the unpleasant incidents she had experienced in the past: Garet bragging about how many different girls had crushes on him back in Vale, pouring water over her head when she wasn't looking and acting defensive when she got angry at him, claiming that as a water Adept she should have been used to it, and finally when he had called her "ice-witch" for the entirety of one day. Now that she thought it over, his arrogant and showboating attitude had seemed slightly… forced._

_ She didn't have long to wonder, as once they reached the courtyard Garet asked her, "Um, is this good?"_

_ "Yes, this is… fine," She replied. He sat on a bench, and she sat down on a perpendicular bench nearby. There was an awkward silence where Mia tried to form how she wanted to start the conversation. _

_ She broke the silence by saying, "I wanted to thank you for getting my robes back. They mean… a lot to me."_

_ "I know, with your mom, right?" He replied, and she nodded. She spared a second to glance him over; he was slouching, and while she couldn't tell completely, his face looked slightly dejected._

_ "Yes. It's all I really have left of her," Mia said, caressing her robes once more, and sending yet another prayer skyward in thanks that they hadn't been taken from her. _

_ "You're lucky," Garet said, before wincing visibly. Before she could question, rather angrily, what he meant, he continued, "I mean, not that… I mean, because you have that from her. Something she made you. With Jenna… her house got destroyed on the night her parents were lost. She has just about nothing left from her family. Besides Felix, I guess, but that's not much at this point from the look of things."_

_ Mia paused, soaking in what he had said. "I guess you're right. I've never thought about it like that." She stared at Garet, who now looked positively downtrodden. She bit her lip. As bad as that had come out, it was clear that it was an accident. And she had been perfectly willing to reprimand him and tell him off, rather than give him the benefit of the doubt. Then again, he had been—_

_ "I really want to apologize," Garet began, his posture now, if not confident, determined, and his eyes staring into hers. "For… well, the last two months. And, um, I'll probably screw this up somehow, because I've always been terrible at saying the right thing at the right time, but I just wanted to let you know. I'm sorry. I'll stop acting like such a jerk."_

_ Mia remained silent, frowning slightly as his shoulders slipped from determination back to dejection. "I talked to Isaac about that," She started, playing with the rolls in her robes as she spoke. "He told me a lot… most of it wasn't what I was expecting to hear."_

_ Garet perked up, but she could tell it was partly out of fear. "Um, exactly what did Isaac tell you?" The Mars Adept asked, and Mia could literally hear him trying to keep his anxiousness out of his voice. He was fearful Isaac had told her of his feelings for her. _

_ "He told me about everything you did to help Jenna," Mia whispered. "About how you were a great guy, but acted stupidly around people for reasons I really still don't understand. He told me that you want to be friends with me, but for whatever reason you have issues acting like yourself around me. I'm willing to forgive you for all that though, especially if you just start acting like yourself instead of a moron. I can tell your heart is in the right place, Garet. It had to be, for you to run all that way to get my robes back."_

_ "Really, it was nothing," Garet muttered, rubbing the back of his head._

_ "No, it most certainly wasn't, and it means a lot to me," Mia replied, speaking firmly. _

_ "That's all he told you, then?" Garet asked, a bit of worry still in his voice. Mia flashed a small smile to herself; it was kind of sweet, how he was trying to keep his feelings a secret. She nodded, and he sighed. "One act doesn't make up for two months of acting… like an idiot."_

_ "That may be true," Mia mused, leaving her seat and sitting down next to Garet. He didn't flinch, but was visibly surprised by the motion. "You __can__ make it up to me, though, by telling me why you acted like that. Isaac couldn't explain it to me; I'm still confused as to why you felt the need to behave so… oh, you know. Why?"_

_ Mia tentatively reached her hand out to Garet's shoulder; it barely covered half of it. Mia often forgot just how large Garet was: he wasn't even eighteen yet, and by far one of the biggest men she had ever met. He seemed to be surprised by this motion as well, but smiled after a moment._

_ "It's a really, really stupid reason. You'll probably think I'm an idiot for thinking it, and you'd be right," He started. "More or less… take you. You look angelic—" Mia forced back a blush "—so the first time I saw you, I imagine you were a healer. Now, take someone like me. I look like a brute. But, deep down, I'm not. I'm just… well, really I'm a big goof. But I guess I get sucked into fulfilling this image people place on me. Because of my size and just overall manliness, people act like I'm some meat-head or something like that, and rather than rejecting it, I just go along with it. To be honest, sometimes I'm just scared that… well… that people will laugh at me when they find out I have a sensitive side. Like I said, it's stupid—"_

_ "No, it's not," Mia whispered, her mind racing. "I-I understand completely. About trying to fulfill an image." She sniffed, and felt her eyes begin to water. Her mind told her to stop talking, that she would only make a fool out of herself, but her mouth kept going. _

_ "My mother was a perfect healer: graceful, serene, caring. When she died, I felt like I HAD to be her, to a fault. It was so much stress, but I never told anyone: I was too afraid they would think that I was failing her memory, or that __I __ would think I was failing her memory. Some part of me, even… I think I thought if I was a good enough healer, maybe that she would come back. As stupid and childish as it was, maybe if I was the best healer I could be, Mercury would give me by mom b-back…"_

_ She felt childish now, as she began to cry in front of a boy she had hated only twenty-four hours ago. He must think she was pathetic. To her surprised, she blinked a moment later to find her in his arms. _

_ "Shhh, it's okay. She's proud of you, watching you from up there. I know it," Garet said soothingly, and Mia, at these words, returned the embrace. "You are an angel, Mia. Everything you do for other people, and the effect you have on everyone around you is magical. Even when the illness was hitting Imil, everyone was still so happy. It was crazy: I wondered why the hell everyone looked ready to fall over but still perfectly joyful. And then we met you, and I realized it was because being sick meant they got to be near you."_

_ "That's not true," she whispered between her tears. "What you were saying about maintaining an image… I blamed Alex for everything he did, but in reality, it was my fault. He was so aloof, and disobeyed Mercury's teachings so often… even though I loved being around him, I simply stopped being seeing him enough, and then I-I… I can't say it. But I pushed him away… I led him to want to light the Lighthouses, I—"_

_ "Mia, personally, I think he's slimier than an eel," Garet interrupted. "But I understand that he meant a lot to you, and in that case, we can save him. You think Isaac and I are going to let Felix keep this crap up? Nah, we're going to find him, knock this Lighthouse nonsense out of his head, and bring him back home."_

_ "You really think we can save them?" Mia asked._

_ "I know it," Garet replied. They sat in silence, Mia's tears slowly drying, her heart warming as well; something told her it was more of a result of his words than the heat he naturally exerted._

_ "I think you're wrong about yourself, Garet," Mia said, breaking the embrace._

_ "Oh?" Garet questioned._

_ "Yes," She replied with the angelic smile she was so known for. "You're very good at saying the right thing at the right time, and moreover doing the right thing at the right. Isaac told me about the two times you saved Jenna's life. I think you just don't give yourself the chance often enough."_

_ "Huh…" Garet whispered. "I've never thought of it like that."_

_ "I'm glad we had this talk," Mia responded. "And that now, you can be yourself. Because, to be honest, I really like the real you Garet. The guy that runs a few miles to get back robes that are all a girl has left of her mother, or dives into a raging river when he doesn't know how to swim to save his best friend, or who always knows how to make someone feel better. Also, honestly Garet, if you had kept the dumb-guy routine up much longer I was going to freeze you in an ice-block when Isaac and Ivan weren't looking."_

_ She finished with a completely straight face, and by the look on Garet's face at first he was slightly frightened, but then she burst out laughing, and he soon followed. _

_ From the second story of the inn, a grumpy Ivan who had been trying to sleep and very near dreamland groaned as a certain pair's laughter knocked him back to full-consciousness. "Even without snoring, he manages to keep me up," the Jupiter Adept grumbled, pulling the covers tighter over himself and taking another pillow and sandwiching his head in between it to block out the noise._

_ "At least they sound like they're getting along better. As long as they don't start getting mushy around each other. I don't know if I could take having to see Garet act like a romantic sap. Watching him make a complete ass out of himself had been painful enough." Slowly, Ivan ceased to speak and became lost in thoughts, before being lost to dreams._

_ At which point he dreamed of Garet wearing a neon-purple dress and owning a floral shop, mostly filled with the dangerous and poisonous plants they had seen on their travels. Ivan would never be able to look at Garet nor floral shops the same way again._

_ After their laugher faded, Mia and Garet simply stared up into the sky. She felt her heart beat faster as his hand gently found hers. Right, that was the only thing she hadn't taken care of. His feelings for her. Mia bit her lip; did she really have feelings for Garet? How could she, she hadn't even gotten to know him until today. Her thoughts became lost in her drowsiness, and she soon found her eyelids drooping. All of that could wait. Right now, if nothing else, he had a comfortable shoulder. _

Mia had woken up the next morning back in her and Isaac's room, having fallen asleep on Garet's shoulder and being taken back to their room by him. And ever since, they had been on good terms. Great terms, even. He had done a complete one hundred and eighty degree shift personality wise. Well, he was still slightly oafish and make a bunch of terrible jokes, but instead of being a jerk about it he was kind of… sweet.

"I was on such a roll with my poetry too, but then watching you daydream made me daydream too," Isaac said, knocking her from her thoughts.

She smiled, and walked over to the Venus Adept. He returned the smile, before it shifted into a light smirk and he stifled a snicker. "May I ask what is so funny?" Mia questioned, her hands on her hips in a show of mock-sternness.

Isaac snickered once more, before saying, "Oh, you just look kind of funny without eyebrows, is all. Still cute, but you know. I wouldn't recommend keeping the look."

Mia pouted, having forgotten her lost eyebrows until Isaac had been rude enough to bring their annihilation up. She rubbed her gloved fingers across where they had been, and sighed. Hair growth was a weird branch of Mercury Psynergy, and she was not looking forward to dealing with it. Still, she was not willing to go however long it took for them to grow back naturally.

"You seem pretty bothered by their loss. I'm surprised; I thought you didn't care about your appearance that much," Isaac teased, biting his quill before writing another verse in his small journal.

"It's natural for girls to try to look their best," Mia responded timidly; truth be told, she tried to downplay the importance of one's appearance, but she could not deny she spent a good deal of time every morning sprucing up.

"I severely doubt you're able to look anything but beautiful," Isaac said, closing his book. Mia didn't respond, crossing her hands in front of her as she often did when she felt uncomfortable. Isaac, never one to not sense the feelings of those around him, said, "I apologize, I didn't mean to fluster you; just teasing."

Mia smiled. "I know, Isaac. I'm just easy to tease, I guess."

"Mmmm," He replied, turning to look at how Garet and Ivan were doing. Mia followed his lead; unsurprisingly, Garet was flinging his axe every which way at Ivan, who was nimbly dodging each blow, but with less room for error each time. "You ever get the feeling that guy could move a mountain if he really set his mind to it?" Isaac asked with a chuckle, shaking his head.

"He certainly is determined," Mia replied, a warm smile crossing her face. "Even if some of his determination is directed toward trying to knock poor Ivan senseless and devouring all the food on the ship he can find. Speaking of which, we need to stop somewhere for a restock. We're low on food."

Isaac sighed. They had bought enough for at least two weeks, and it had been consumed in one. "A muzzle. We're getting him a muzzle," He muttered in joking aggravation, and Mia shrugged.

"Well, honestly, he does use it all. The food he eats, I mean. He's high energy twenty four seven. Do you remember how he spent half of the ship-ride to Tolbi saying he was going to throw up, and then when we fought the Kraken he ran and jumped along its tentacles until he was on its back? And then he plunged his sword into it to hold on, and just punched it while using Mars Psynergy with the other until it collapsed? It was like he had a legion of Djinn equipped."

"Forget it?" Isaac replied. "How could I? That was one of the most memorable moments of my life!"

They shared a warm laugh which broke into full on hysterics when Garet finally connected with Ivan, striking him directly in the stomach with a horizontal swing, and launching him clean off the ship and into the ocean. "IVAN OVERBOARD!" He shouted, wasting no time in diving in headlong after him.

"W-we should probably help them," Mia sputtered in between her laughter, and Isaac nodded. The Venus Adept halted the ships movement while Mia threw a rope out to the waterlogged pair, which consisted of Garet, whose hair looked hilarious when it was wet, as that was the only time it would actually stay down, and Ivan, who looked as if he would be strangling Garet if he wasn't using him to stay above the water. The rope fell a few feet short, but she manipulatde the current to cause it to drift over, and within a minute Garet had pulled them to the ship.

"This is going to be heavy," Mia sighed with a slight cringe.

"I think we'll take the easy way out instead," Isaac said with a slight smile, and before she could ask what he meant, Isaac had summoned a large stone and flung it the opposite direction while the rope was wrapped around it. This led to Garet and Ivan being flung out of the water and onto the deck with a rather large crash, rather than the graceful ascent they had most likely been expecting.

Ivan, not having much luck today, landed under Garet, and as such was not visible. Both appeared to be fine, though.

"Oh my," Mia whispered, and Isaac rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"That might have been too much oomp," The Venus Adept chuckled, and Mia rolled her eyes. Once again, _boys._ "You think they're all right?" He questioned, and before Mia could respond Garet had leapt off the deck and was rushing toward Isaac.

"THAT WAS SO MUCH FUN! CAN WE DO IT AGAIN!" The Mars Adept shouted excitedly, leaving a splattered Ivan where he had been just a moment prior.

"I think once is enough, at least for today, Garet," Isaac replied with a smile, and Garet sighed.

Mia, meanwhile, was examining Ivan. She gave him a quick Ply, noting that nothing was very damaged, but that he must be feeling very, very sore. "Ugh," He moaned, still unmoving, confirming her prediction. He turned his head over and looked at Mia, only one eye open. "Am I going to be alright?"

She sighed, and gave him another Ply to alleviate the feeling of being flattened by Garet. "Yes, you'll be fine Ivan," Mia said, offering him a hand up. "Right now you should go below deck and get a change of clothes."

"Could you get some of the water out first?" Ivan asked, and Mia nodded, raising her hand and glowing lightly for a moment. On cue, most of the moisture dampening Ivan flew off and splashed harmlessly on the deck. "Thanks," He muttered, looking and no doubt feeling a bit waterlogged.

"Don't mention it," Mia said cheerfully, trying to brighten his soggy mood. "You should still change though, or else you'll smell like saltwater. I couldn't get all of it out."

Ivan grunted in acknowledgement, making his way below deck. He was shortly followed by Garet, whose merry mood was not doused in the slightest by Ivan's newfound bitterness.

"They're ridiculous," Mia remarked, walking back to where Isaac was. He nodded, but seemed to be lost in thought.

Mia was going to let him think and possibly go get a light snack when he asked, "So, have you thought of giving Garet a chance yet?"

Mia froze, and gulped. Isaac had brought up her and Garet's relationship once or twice since that night three months ago. It wasn't terribly awkward, since they were so close, and said a great deal about Isaac's character: even though he had feelings for her, he was still actively trying to get her to give his best friend a shot.

"It's… complicated," Mia said hesitantly. She was usually so open with Isaac, but still… whenever she truly didn't want to discuss something, she would revert to an almost shell-like state. She was slowly slipping into it now, and wondered whether Isaac would notice.

"I can see you two get along very well. It's clear he likes you, Mia, and despite his faults Garet's a great guy. His faults seem bad, but that's only because they're so pronounced: you couldn't ask for a better boyfriend," Isaac said. Mia nodded, and noted sourly that he wasn't dropping the subject once she had shown hesitancy to discuss it as he had previously.

"If you don't want to make the first move, that's perfectly understandable," Isaac continued. "I'm not aware of Imillian culture, so for all I know the male has to be the one to initiate the relationship. If that's the case, I'll let him know that he should ask you out, but I need confirmation you want him to do so first."

Mia swallowed once more. He was pushing towards an ultimatum. "It's… not… that…" She forced out slowly.

She spared a glance at Isaac, who was frowning. Perhaps he had taken the hint, and would just drop the subje—

"Then what is it?" Isaac asked, trying to sound soothing and tactful, but still coming off as persistent in her mind. "Mia—"

"I _don't _want to talk about it Isaac. Is that clear?" Mia snapped, turning to face Isaac, and surprising both of them. Normally, being so close to his face would elicit some kind of embarrassed reaction from either of them, but not now. Mia couldn't remember ever having a tense moment involving Isaac, but this indeed was one.

Isaac raised his hands in a symbol of peace and understanding, and then spoke softly. "I'm just wondering, because well, you know—"

"Isaac, I said no," Mia whispered coldly, causing him to gasp slightly. She bit her tongue: why wouldn't he just listen? There was no way she could tell him, partially because she still didn't believe it herself. But… he was Isaac. He would never react the same way Alex had… he wouldn't…

She shook any thought of Alex and her secret from her mind. No, he would hate her. It wasn't worth it. He couldn't understand.

Isaac let out a silent sigh, but rather than turning away, said, "Mia, please, you can tell me the truth, something seems to be bothering you, and I just want to—"

SLAP! If Mia had been surprised by her own harsh reaction to his questioning, she was shocked at what her hand had done seemingly out of its own will. Isaac stared off into space for a brief moment, as the echo of her hand smacking his cheek hung for what seemed like an eternity on the deck of the ship.

Slowly, he turned his eyes back to hers, which were wide and frightened, and absentmindedly rubbed his now red face. He was completely astounded, possibly even more so than her. Mia felt her body began to tremble. Yes, he had been being pushy, but that was how Isaac was: he would do anything for his friends, even if it was something they didn't want him to do. He had only been trying to help, and she had… hit him.

"M-Mia?" Isaac started, his voice unsure and layered with concern.

She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Oh Gods Isaac, I didn't mean to… I was just… you wouldn't stop… I just…"

"No, no, it's okay," He said in an obvious attempt to calm her down. "It's fine, I shouldn't have been so—"

"I'm sorry Isaac, I-I can't deal with this, right now," Mia sputtered, then turned and ran into the cabin and then below deck. Judging by the lack of sound behind her, she figured he hadn't followed. Mia ran past her room when she reached it, though, instead deciding to run into the depths of the ship; if Isaac went looking for her, as he no-doubt would, he would look in her room first.

She stopped when she came to a door she had never opened, and slipped inside, lighting one of the wall mounted candles as she did so. She moved a small crate in front of the door to bar entry, and sank down to the floor along the wall after that.

She wasn't crying, but her eyes were watery: what had she just done? Her best friend, the only person left in her life that really understood her, and she had slapped him. Mia sighed, but it came out broken. She should have just told him the tru—

No. That wasn't an option. She remembered those years in Imil, constantly dogging Alex's advances. As brash as he could be, and as unwilling to cease pursuit of that which he truly wanted, somehow she had held him at bay. It was clear that he thought the world of her. He showered her with gifts and refused to take them back when she demanded he did so, complimented her every hour and devised charming pet names for her, and was always doing little things like stroking her hair, or holding her hand, or leaning into her from behind and whispering into her ear…

Mia shuddered. As much as she had wanted all of that to stop, it hadn't been because it was forceful or creepy. No, Alex had been the perfect gentlemen, and she had quickly ran out of reasons as to why she would not say yes and let him court her. Even if the village would throw a small fit over it, as Alex was not exactly well-liked, they wouldn't have denied that it made sense: they were the only two surviving members of the Mercury clan, after all. Choosing to marry or at least try out a relationship with one another was very logical. And while many no doubt thought Mia held out from their relationship because she was worried what the populace would think, they were wrong. Mia, frankly, could care less about that: Alex would have made a fine life-partner.

If she liked boys. She cringed at the thought, and tried to mentally remove it from her head, but she couldn't. She had tried so many times to, just like she had tried so many times to truly feel love in Alex's kisses, to want to return them, to get the tingly feeling other girls in Imil spoke of when around the male their heartstrings had been strung to. Mia had never felt that feeling when near a boy.

Around Isaac, and Alex, and truth be told, Garet, it almost felt like she could. But none of it was physical: it was all platonic. Her relationships with them were filled with deep meaning, and she wouldn't trade that for the world: even with Alex. She couldn't truly hate him, because she had been the one to change him. She had broken his heart. If she had just said yes, Mercury Lighthouse would have remained dim. He would not have joined with those fearful Mars Adepts they had been forced to murder. She blamed herself, and now feared the same thing would happen with Garet.

What could she say? "Oh, sorry, I just don't like males all together?" And what if they asked… what if they asked what she planned to do with her love-life? What if saying she planned to remain alone, as she could and was recommended to do if she ever did reach the highest position of Paragon in Imil, wasn't enough? What if they asked… if instead of boys, she liked… Mia forced the thoughts back inside, and cringed.

It was a sin. She knew it was a sin. She had read it was a sin in Imil's elder scriptures. And while the elders had rarely brought it up, when they had they had condemned it explicitly. To look upon another girl like that… was sinful.

And she hated that she was so weak, that she could be like that. She was supposed to follow in her mother's footsteps. To be a perfect priestess. To make her proud, so that when her mother glanced down from above she would see her daughter, healing all of Imil with benevolence and humility. Not to look down and see her shooting glimpses at other girls. Not to see her hiding her blush as she performed a routine examination on a girl her age, the tingling feeling other girls had spoken of so frequently now finding her, like a disease.

That's what it was. A disease. She had prayed so hard to Mercury. So, so, _so _hard. She sniffled as the tears began to fall. She had sat at the base of the Lighthouse, in the sanctum, and in their most holy shrine to the Goddess, pleading silently if others were nearby, but if she was alone nearly screaming and crying out prayers. She had read of pilgrimages, and had taken then. To old, ancient shrines far off in the tundra. She had nearly died twice doing so, only to be revived by Alex. She had taken some of the Hermes Water for herself after they had failed to halt Saturos's party, claiming it was a necessity for a healer to carry some, but secretly using it on herself to try to cleanse her soul.

And then, when all else had failed, she had… Mia cringed, her shaking hand moving toward her covered arm. It brushed against it, and she swallowed. She peered around the dark room, making sure no one was with her, her eyes wide with fear and disgust but also with… anticipation. She bit her lips as she pulled back her robes sleeves, revealing the worn and now fading scar.

Her final step had been by far the most painful. In an ancient tome, she had read of a cure: if one carved a sacred and ancient seal in their arm every month, and let it heal on its own, eventually their sin would fade. She had been so hopeful, but so hesitant: to spill one's own blood… but she had done it.

It had not worked yet, though, but she would not give up hope. Perhaps, this would be the last time, and she could be with Garet. Or maybe, she could bring Alex back… apologize, and tell him how much he meant to her. She fumbled in her robes for the knife she kept hidden. It had been blessed long ago, and was said to hold holy power. She brought it to an inch away from her arm, breathing lightly. The pain was so great… what would her mother…

Her mother would be disgusted by what she had become. The least Mia could do, was (the knife sunk closer) make her mother proud (she began to form the symbol in her mind's eye); she wanted to be holy, to be like her mother. Her hand and arm shook, both fearing the pain that was less than a moment away—

"MIA!" Came a shout along with a loud knock on the door, and Mia screamed, dropping the knife. She let out a cry as it sliced her arm, and pulled back, breathing heavily. Her entire body shook as she hurriedly cast ply and pulled the liquid blood from her robes with Psynergy, flinging it behind a box. And then, just as the door began to shake, she kicked the knife between two boxes so it could not be seen.

Finally, the door pushed open, and Mia turned to see Ivan standing in the doorway, a concerned looked etched across his face.

* * *

><p><em>Finishing this feels soooooo good. So much writer's block. So many distractions. This was mostly just me being lazy though, honestly, but hopefully this will never happen again. And holy crap this ended up bigger than I thought it would. I was struggling to get it big enough, no idea how it bloomed this much. That's a good thing, in my opinion, though, so I'll take it.<em>

_I'm pretty sure something went wrong in the flashback sequences (not sure what) so if anything seems off let me know. For whatever reason, I can't write Mia as a truly happy character. Mostly because of the amount of crap that happens to her, but still. I love Mia. I love writing Mia. I'm hoping my writing Mia is actually coming out well._

_Oh, characters I'm worried about, Ivan and Isaac. Isaac I have somewhat of a pass on, as we don't see much of him actually speaking in the series: this is how I imagine him, at the least. Ivan has been harder to write than I thought. It also hasn't helped that he hasn't had much to do yet. Well, this really isn't a fic with any true focus on Ivan, so I guess that makes sense._

_Does all the backstory with Garet being a slightly chauvinistic jerk make sense? I was worried about that. I feel like the ending scene with Mia came off well, though. I had been trying to leave really subtle hints to it, and it kind of exploded here. Yay for plot progression! Poor Mia though._

_I'd imagine being gay back in older times would have just been hell. And Mia is someone, from my knowledge, of really strong convictions, which is why we see her taking it so hard here. After all the fluff/not to seriousness of previous chapters, this one got a little intense. Kind of not the best idea for Christmas, but oh well. If it makes anyone feel better, things get better for her. I would never make a Mia fic with a sad ending. I love her too much._

_Also, I'm going to come out and say it, yes, it's a Mia/Jenna fic. There's hell along the way, and who knows, I could made it a GASP sad ending (unlikely), but that's the main pairing. It'll be awhile till they meet up, though, but it's coming._

_What else. Hmmm. That's about it. Glad I got this done. Probably one or two more chapters with Isaac's group, then back to Jenna. And then it will get fairly alternate until they meet up._

_Other than that, yeah. Criticism is always welcome. The general: dialogue, pacing, grammar. Sweet. Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays, and thank you for reading!_


	6. The Red Haired Buffoon Courts the Blue

_Hey! Getting my stuff together, as slowly as that may be :P . Since Christmas, huh? I'm feeling pretty damn ashamed at this point, but I really am trying to make up for the lack of updates and get back on top of things. It's high on my priority list, simply because it makes me happy. So, without further ado, here is Chapter 6._

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><p>Chapter 6: The Red Haired Buffoon Courts the Blue Haired Angel<p>

"Isaac was worried about you, so he asked me to help him look for you," Ivan said, his face clearly showing that he was worried as well.

Mia knew she must look terrified, and could feel her body visibly shaking. She had been careless, performing the ritual in the middle of the day, let alone when Isaac would be clearly seeking her out. She kept her eyes adverted from the Jupiter Adept, trying to breathe deeply to calm herself down. It wasn't working; if they knew she was involved in such a barbaric ritual, they would surely be distraught, and if they knew WHY she was involved with it, they could grow to hate her. The only thing that even compared to failing to halt the remaining Lighthouses from being lit in terms of crushing her heart was the notion of her friends growing to hate her because of her secret.

Mia had never had the nerve to bring up the concept of homosexuality around any of the three boys, for obvious reasons; it just wasn't something you brought up out of the blue with getting asked some awkward questions in return.

"So… uh… why are you in here?" Ivan asked, uncomfortable but curious as to her reaction to his entrance.

"I just… needed some time alone," Mia supplied feebly, trying to come up with a way to worm out of this situation. "Isaac didn't… what did he tell you?"

"Umm… just that you had ran off upset. Why?" Ivan replied, moving slowly towards her.

"Just… just wondering," Mia whispered, pulling her legs up against her body as he approached.

Ivan halted his movement, and coughed, at a lost for what to do. "Well, you seem to be… okay, so I'll…" Mia laughed coldly at that, and shook her head. She was anything but okay.

"Ivan, I appreciate your obvious concern, but I just want to be left alone. I'm going to go to my room, please just… leave me alone, and tell Isaac the same," Mia interrupted, before lifting herself off the ground quickly and walking past Ivan and out the door without another word.

She walked quickly but sloppily; she needed to lie down and nap. This day had gone quite terribly so far, and she just wanted to sleep it away and start over tomorrow. Perhaps she would claim illness, and keep in her room the rest of the day.

She turned down the hallway in which her room was located, but also straight into a large body topped with red-hair like fireworks. Oh, great; Garet. The last person she wanted to see right now.

"Hey! Mia, I wanted to, uh… Mia?" Garet began slightly nervous, but his disposition turned concerned as he glance her over.

"Yes?" Mia asked quickly, eager to get whatever he wanted out of the way so she could make her way to her room.

"Er, what?" Garet replied stupidly, still caught up on how pitiful she looked. Mia was normally very radiant, but today she just seemed… off.

"You wanted to…?" Mia said, trying to maintain some semblance of her usual grace despite her growing impatience.

"Oh! Um, it's not that important, especially if you're not feeling well…" Garet replied, but was visibly shaken when he witnessed her resulting glare.

"And who said I wasn't feeling well?" She snapped, albeit more harshly as she wanted to.

"Well… you just don't look yourself. You look like you've been crying, and while your face is usually pensive or cheery it looks… downtrodden. I might just be seeing things, though," Garet said slowly, trying to not set her off again.

She sighed. "I'm fine, Garet, really — just tell me whatever you were going to so I can sleep." She glanced into his eyes which were sparkling with some kind of mixture of emotions. She titled her head; what on earth did he want to tell her?

"Would you, uh, like to date me?" Garet spat out, closing his eyes after he spoke.

Mia's mouth legitimately dropped open in surprise, and she searched her mind for anything that would serve as a suitable response. Nothing came to her. Out of all the days, out of all the time she had spent with him, he had to ask her now? She took back what she had said about him saying the right thing at the right time.

"Do… uh… do I open my eyes?" Garet whispered, and Mia, having felt pure indecision and despair a mere moment ago, couldn't help but giggle. "Seriously, there's leaving me hanging and then—"

Mia wondered who was more surprised about the kiss; she or Garet. Judging by his reaction, it was probably him, but she couldn't quite believe her decision. It made sense, though; if she truly wanted to cure herself, what better way than simply accepting his request and dating him? True, the kiss…. The kiss didn't hold much feeling for her. Well, obviously, she felt their lips connect, and could tell that he was enjoying it; but in heart, there was nothing.

She must be doing it wrong; that had to be it. So, she kissed harder, more passionately, trying to fall in love with the feeling of more or less emptiness that pervaded her entire body. He could feel him grow even more passionate as it continued, and with a sinking feeling felt something push into her leg. No! Not… not a sinking feeling, that was natural, she should be happy. She excited him, and it was only natural for his anatomy to…

"Garet, your… um… it's," Mia breathed out as she parted their lips, unable to ignore her discomfort, and Garet blushed and gulped.

"I… uh, sorry Mia. You're really pretty," He replied dumbly.

"Oh… okay then," She whispered, understanding that this was just a brief respite from their… kissing. Soon his lips found her's again, and she was at relative peace. At least she didn't hate the feeling.

Of course, neither were happy when a whistle came from down the hall, as both knew who it had come from. Mia was simply embarrassed, blushing bright red; somehow, being caught kissing with a boy just felt… wrong to her.

Garet, on the other hand, was simply angry as all hell, and shouted, "Dammit, Ivan! Do you see me making wisecracks and whistling at you when you get some action! NO! You know why? Cause you don't get any!"

"Oh, please," Ivan retorted, shaking his head with a smirk. "I was just showing my support for you two finally getting together. Go ahead, kiss her some more, I won't watch. Oh, and for the record, if I wanted a girl I could get one like _that_." He snapped his fingers and turned down the hallway, but quickly flinched when he heard large noises coming towards him.

Garet, running at full speed, shouted in return, "I swear you little good-for-nothing thunder-cloud I am going to teach you some manners!" With a quick yelp, Ivan turned tail and sprinted off, with Garet in hot pursuit.

Mia stood still for a minute or so, thinking over her encounter with Garet. Her fingers uncertainly rose to her face and grazed her lips. It had been… slightly pleasant. He hadn't been forceful in the slightest; indeed, she had initiated the contact and he had only matched her intensity. She could tell that he had loved it, though. She had briefly scanned over his body's vitals while they had been… kissing, and his heart rate had been exploding.

Mia wouldn't mind doing it again, she supposed. As long as it just stayed at kissing… but that was a problem for another day, she knew Garet would not be pushy in the slightest about the physicality of their relationship. She sighed, and turned to finally complete the trek to her room. Well, at least it was Garet; Isaac was wonderful as well, but Mia could almost feel a trickle of that warmth love brought when around the Mars Adept. Almost.

* * *

><p>"I GOTCHA!" Garet shouted as he dived forward to grab Ivan. It was only at the last moment that he realized Isaac had moved in front of the Jupiter Adept, and had raised his boot—<p>

SLAM! "…Der boes my nose," Garet whimpered in pain, and Isaac just shook his head.

"Garet, do Mia and I look like babysitters to you? This is a serious quest. Yes, there is time to have fun as well, especially when we're on the boat, but come on, it's starting to be every other second! Yes, the ship is capable of steering itself a good amount, but I still prefer being at the wheel then having to break up chases between you two," Isaac reprimanded, his arms crossed.

Garet frowned, and even his hair seemed to droop slightly, while Ivan snickered. "Ivan, I was talking about you, as well; you're more often than not the instigator, and we all know how easy it is to get Garet rolling."

"Hey!" Ivan and Garet shouted at the same time, and then turned to face each other. For a second, both seemed to be ready to get in another session of bickering, but instead both sighed and looked down.

"I'm glad to see you're both accepting responsibility," Isaac said, uncrossing his arms and smiling. "You're starting to drive Mia and I crazy; it's not easy being on a ship constantly filled with the shouts and explosions and thunder-cracks of a Mars and Jupiter Adept going at it twenty four/seven. What started this one, may I ask?"

"I caught Garet and Mia… you know…" Ivan began, and then gave both Garet and Isaac playful elbow nudges. "Having a little fun; I mean they were doing it right in the middle of the hallway! I was just—"

"Wait, you caught Garet and Mia kissing?" Isaac asked, his interest piqued.

"Uh… yeah," Garet replied, rubbing the back of his head. "I ran into her and she didn't look so good, but I wanted to… you know ask her out, but I decided I wouldn't because she seemed so distraught, but then she told me to just say whatever it was I was going to say and… then I did and she kissed me."

"Well, that's not what I was expecting…" Isaac replied, frowning as he thought. It was completely unlike Mia to act this rashly; she was obviously not her usual self. Still… he glanced at Garet, who, though embarrassed, was clearly smiling and happy that romance had blossomed between the two. At least two of his best friends were together: still, it couldn't hurt to make sure things were alright.

"Garet, could you go check on Mia?" Isaac asked. "She sounds better, but she had some… issues earlier in the day, and I want to make sure she is okay."

"Oh, sure!" Garet replied, having planned to go see Mia after this anyway (and apologize for running off after Ivan). "Yeah, I'll go do that now! She's… what exactly happened earlier?" Isaac smiled as Garet's protective side shone through.

"It's… nothing. I'll tell you later, it's kind of between the two of us," Isaac responded, and then shook his head when Garet's look became questioning. "Not like that, Garet; I told you, we're just friends."

"Ah, yes, you're after Jenna, which is why we're sailing across the giant blue death-trap that is the ocean," Ivan broke in sarcastically, and Isaac rolled his eyes. The youngest member of their party had made it incredibly clear that he despised the sea, and getting catapulted in and out of it today certainly hadn't helped matters much.

"Yeah, you might remember the fact that we're also supposed to be, you know, saving the world?" Isaac replied somewhat bitterly, and Ivan raised an eyebrow.

"Wow, Isaac using sarcasm. Yeah, something odd must have happened this morning," Ivan said, but his tone was quickly becoming more serious. "Garet, if that's the case, you really should go check up on Mia."

"Alright," Garet replied, nodding to both of his companions. "Just… Isaac, don't keep me out of the loop, okay? You'll tell me what happened later?"

Isaac nodded firmly, and Garet smiled in return. "Alright, then I'm off to her room — see you guys later!"

Isaac fully expected Ivan to throw a "make sure to leave the door open, you lovebird!" or something similar after him, but instead he remained silent. As Garet disappeared into the ship, Ivan turned to Isaac, his face very serious.

"What the hell happened this morning? You never keep secrets, and you NEVER speak sarcastically," Ivan asked, and Isaac quickly realized he had no choice but to confide in the Jupiter Adept. That was fine; he had planned on doing so anyway. Despite his somewhat lack of maturity, Ivan was very wise, and Isaac often bounced various topics off of him. His advice had gotten them out of more than a few sticky situations.

"I talked to Mia about her feelings for Garet," Isaac began, thinking back to what had occurred about an hour ago. "Or, at least I tried to. But she got very uncomfortable when I tried to push the question a little, because she's never really given me a straight answer. And when I pushed more, she kind of snapped at me, and then she slapped me."

Ivan's eyes widened, and Isaac nodded, still in shock from what had happened himself. "Mia… slapped you? But, she's, I just can't see it. She's too kind, too benevolent. It's just not something she would do… you must have really pushed a button," Ivan replied, trying to convince himself of Isaac's words, as he knew the Venus Adept must be telling the truth. Still, it was almost impossible to imagine.

"She became very introverted… I've never seen her like that, to be honest," Isaac said, picturing the occurrence in his mind once more. "I mean, I know that she likes to keep to herself in some ways, but still… it just felt wrong."

"…Mind if I take a look?" Ivan asked, raising his hand as he did when he read someone's mind.

Isaac couldn't help but smile. "Any excuse to use your favorite Psynergy, huh?" He teased, eliciting an eye roll out of his friend. "I'm just joking; go ahead." Ivan nodded, and began to pulse with purple light.

_Okay, so I'm just gonna skip by "romantic and sexual thoughts about Jenna" and "brooding leader concerns" and head on down to "recent memories"_, Ivan's voice sounded in Isaac's head, and the older boy couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah, that's just about all I think about," Isaac joked as he felt his mind get scanned. It was a sensation that had taken some getting used to, but he was well accustomed to it by now. Ivan found the memory in question quickly enough, and soon they were viewing it. It took about a minute or so, and then, they were finished, and Ivan exited his mind.

"Well… yeah, that's definitely the Mia we both know," Ivan said, somewhat shaken from viewing the memory. "I don't know if I've ever seen her look angry, to be honest with you. Why would something like talking to her about Garet garner such a reaction?"

Isaac shook his head, and sighed. "I've been trying to figure that out for the last hour, Ivan. It's possible that she doesn't have feelings for him, and didn't want to hurt his feelings, but… I don't know, Mia doesn't like confrontation, but she's not one to sit and let something affect the party; I mean, take a few months ago when Garet was being a jackass, she wasn't willing to bring it up because she cared so much about our quest and our success in it. That's… kind of a bad example, because in that case she didn't want to confront him, but the point is that she cares about all of us, and wouldn't want her feelings to lead to distress."

"So… you think that she's going along with it, but only because she feels pressured? I mean, I know she likes Garet, so I'm confused as to why… none of this makes sense. It feels like we're missing something," Ivan replied, his brow furrowing as the thought things over. "Er… maybe she does have feelings for you?"

Isaac sighed, not wanting to go back down this route as he himself had very much so wanted to court Mia. The Venus Adept knew what kind of a special person she was, and was exceptionately fond of her; but he had his Jenna. "I don't think so… she never seemed that way around me. I mean, when we slept in the same bed she was very… I don't know, she didn't even seem to mind, like she was just sleeping with her brother or what not. Maybe she just did a really good job of hiding it, but I'm not convinced."

"Hmmm, I think you're correct," Ivan replied, thinking things over once again. "What if… she doesn't like guys?"

"Hmmm?" Isaac said, intrigued as to what Ivan was talking about.

"Well," Ivan began, thinking back to his childhood, "I knew one girl who lived in Kalay's palace that just didn't like men, period. It wasn't a finding the right type kind of thing, she was just dead-set against being in a relationship, and it wasn't due to a lack of suitors. Maybe Mia is the same way."

"Huh," Isaac said, thinking it over. "Well… that's possible. I've never really heard her talk about any boys back in Imil that she was in relationships with. It's pretty plausible, I know there were a few men in Vale that just weren't interested in women. We should ask her… or maybe not. Not right away; give her time to cool down."

"Sounds good," Ivan replied, his face slightly bitter.

"Something wrong?" Isaac questioned, and Ivan sighed.

"You know, both of you got shots at Mia, but me? Nope. Either she doesn't like men altogether or she's Garet's girl now. I lose either way," The Jupiter Adept replied sullenly, and Isaac chuckled.

"She is very wonderful, isn't she? We're lucky we found her, and get to spend our journey with her. Not to mention how many times she's saved our lives," Isaac said, but Ivan simply grumbled in return, and the Venus Adept decided to give him a break. "Tell you what; next time we go on the mainland, I'll help you get a pretty girl."

To Isaac's surprise, Ivan scoffed, and replied, "Oh, please, save your pity, I can find my own dates thank you very much."

Isaac couldn't help but laugh, and replied cheekily, "I never said you couldn't. Stilts may help, though."

As the Venus Adept pouted, Ivan frowned, and said, "Isaac! You promised! No short jokes! Come on, I don't see you making cracks about Garet's intelligence."

"You need to pay better attention if you think that," Isaac responded, wiping away a tear of laughter. "I grind on him all day long." Ivan simply grumbled once more in response, and folded his arms.

Isaac was about ready to leave the conversation, when a thought sprung into his mind. "Hey… Ivan, where did you find Mia? And what was she doing, exactly? She wasn't in her room, right?"

"No, she was in a storage room, the one nearest the ship's hull," Ivan replied, still slightly annoyed. "It was odd… she was really shaken. Almost looked like she was hiding something, and I'm pretty sure she made some movement before I walked in. Actually…" Ivan put his hand to his head as he recalled the moment in time. "I think she might have thrown something behind some boxes before I walked it. I forgot about it until you brought it up, but I was wondering what she was doing in there."

"Huh… thanks for the info, Ivan," Isaac replied, turning to go down into the ship's interior.

"Heh, can't leave well enough alone, can you? That's why you're the leader, Isaac," Ivan replied with a smile. "Let me know what you find, if anything!"

Isaac nodded, but he hadn't really heard what his friend had said: his mind was firmly focused on figuring out what exactly was going on with Mia.

* * *

><p>Mia sat glumly in her bed, thinking over what had occurred. More specifically, she was thinking over her… well… feminine parts. She knew from anatomy that they should get aroused when she was in close contact with a male, but that just didn't seem to be the case. Of course, she'd never consider touching herself to induce pleasure; that was also marked as a sin under Mercury's laws, and she was already in hot enough water as it was with her current condition.<p>

"Mercury, why?" She whispered, pulling her pillow against her body, and hugging it. "Garet's a great guy, and it's clear that he has feelings for me; I know that he would be wonderful to me, that he would be everything a young man should be to a young woman. But… I just… I don't FEEL anything when I'm around him, or touching him. At least… not like… when I think about…" Her mind flashed through a few of the girls she had favored in Imil. None of them had held special places in her heart, but that hadn't kept her from imagining… things with them.

"Dirty, disgusting, filthy things," She hissed, throwing her pillow against the wall. Mia sighed, trying to calm herself; she placed her hands out in front of her in a position of Imillian prayer, and whispered, "Please, great Goddess of Mercury. I wish to be clean, to be pure, to be good. To be… the way I should be. I understand you are busy, but could I just have a sign, just a small little signal, that shows me what I must do to cleanse myself?"

She made no motion as she waited, but finally, after a minute, she threw her arms down, and looked straight up at the ceiling, shouting, "DAMMIT! Please! I'm so lost! I hate myself, can't you see I don't want this? That I want to be rid of it! Of course I want to love him!" Still no answer, and she frowned bitterly. "Why? I've… I've done everything for the Gods, for the sake of what is good. For the sake of my mother. I've tried so hard to be strong and to be good, but now she just watches me from above and spits of the twisted thing I've become!"

"…What have you become?" Garet asked calmly, having walked into Mia's room five seconds ago without her noticing.

Naturally, Mia nearly fell off her bed, having been frightened terribly for the second time that day. And worse, having her secret nearly uncovered for a second tim — wait. What if he HAD heard?

"Garet!" Mia said quickly, jumping off her bed and running up to him. "What did you hear? Tell me now!"

"Uh…" Garet replied dumbly, trying to remember what he had heard. It was less that he was stupid, and more that he wasn't the best at thinking on the spot. "Well, at first it was kind of muffled, but something about 'doing everything for the Gods' and something about your mother. Why, are you okay? You seem really flustered."

"F-fine," Was her shaky reply, falling back onto the bed. So he hadn't heard anything too bad… "Why are you here?" She asked pointedly, frowning after she did so; she hadn't meant to be so harsh. Garet, however, ignored it.

"Well, I felt bad about running off in the middle of… you know," Garet said awkwardly, staring at a painting in the room rather than her. "And Isaac said he was worried about you, and since he's always right I'm here to check up on you. Uh… why were you saying you've become twisted?"

Mia cursed; Isaac would be behind this. He was once again just trying to help, but all his "just trying to help" was leading to close call after close call. She had done what he had wanted and said yes when Garet had asked her to — wait, no she hadn't. She had kissed him, not said yet. No wonder the Mars Adept had come to seek her; he still needed a direct answer.

"I just…" Mia began, wondering what she could tell him. She didn't want to lie, but telling the truth was rather out of the question… perhaps telling part of it would work?

"I've… I've been worried that I'm not living up to my mother's standard," She said, and Garet, even though he was already listening attentively, he perked up even more as she mentioned her mother; Mia rarely brought her up, and when she did it was important. "She was so perfect… and I just feel like I'm not living up to her legacy. Especially since I failed to keep Mercury unlit, since we had to murder Saturos and Menardi to stop them, and since I had to leave Imil… what if my people need me?"

Mia felt her eyes water slightly, and she bit her lip; she hadn't been this distraught since that day, when the Lighthouse had been lit. She had managed to keep a straight face in front of her new travelling mates on that fateful day, but as soon as she had gotten to her own home and they left for the inn, she had completely broken down. So many different slaps in the face, all at the same time; Alex, abandoning her (her fault), the Lighthouse being lit (her fault), being forced to leave Imil to deal with the first two issues. It had just been… too much.

And now, all of that was coming back, her regrets from the past and present rearing their ugly head just when she needed it least. She had just been trying to tell him something that wasn't a total lie and would keep him from asking any truly dangerous questions, but it had backfired.

"Mia… I really don't get that at all," Garet replied, putting a comforting hand on her back. She smiled weakly as she noticed that it nearly took up half of its width. "You… you're probably one of the best people I've ever met."

Mia blinked, unable to believe what she had heard. Yes, she did some good things, but… "You were raised mostly by a single parent, from what you've told me, and when your mother died you were younger than ten. And then you more or less raised yourself, while guarding an ancient structure and having to constantly keep everyone in the town healthy. You are so kind to everyone you meet, and completely devoted to everyone around you and the things you believe in. You're mother would be so proud of the person you've become."

Mia had completely devolved from being somewhat in control of her emotions to a weeping mess over the course of him speaking, and when he finished she grappled onto him tightly, burying her face in his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. As much as her mind told her his words were false, they felt so, so good to hear. For the first time all day, she felt relieved, wholesome, good. He valued her that much… and maybe, she was the kind of person he spoke of. Except… except in one way. But she could fix that.

"G-Garet?" Mia whispered, moving slightly off of his chest, and staring up at him, her aqua eyes sparkling. He nodded, and smiled, bringing the expression to her face as well. "R-Remember the question you asked me?"

"Question?" He replied, unsure of what she was speaking of.

"The question of… I wanted to, you know, be more than friends with you? If I wanted a relationship?" Mia asked, breathing in deeply in between her speech.

"Oh… uh, yeah," Garet replied, gulping and grinning nervously.

"I'd like that," Mia whispered softly, and laid her head down on his chest once more. She almost felt that feeling, right now… it was like it was on the tips of her fingers, but she just couldn't reach out and grab it.

"I'm glad," Garet responded, squeezing her a bit tighter. She returned the action, and they sat like that for a solid minute before he spoke again. "We'll… go at your pace, okay?" He said, and then continued. "I mean, I don't know how many men you've dated or what not, so… just, whatever you're comfortable with, let me know. And… sorry about earlier. I got a little overexcited."

Mia smiled, and rubbed up against him. Maybe, she could get used to this. "That's very sweet of you… Ger-Bear," She replied with a giggle, and Garet let out an uneasy laugh.

"P-Please don't call me that," He stuttered, imaging the teasing Ivan would unleash. Both of them turned their heads as the door to her room suddenly opened, revealing Isaac. He had a serious look on his face, but it softened when he saw that they were snuggling.

"Garet," The Venus Adept began as Mia and Garet quickly separated, both slightly embarrassed. "Can you go on deck? We need to lift something rather heavy and my back's a little sore."

"Oh, uh, sure," Garet replied, quickly glancing between his newfound girlfriend and his best friend. Part of him was eager to ask Isaac if it could wait, but he knew that Isaac wouldn't be interrupting him and Mia without good reason. "I'll be back down in a bit, Mia!" He shouted as he ran out the door with a wave, only to run back in and give Mia, to her surprise, a quick peck on the cheek, and then run back out.

Isaac palmed his forehead with a smile on his face, and shook his head. "So… you two are together, now?" He then asked, not leaving the doorway. Mia nodded, and Isaac smiled. "Good… are you feeling better?"

"A bit… I'm really, really sorry for how I acted, Isaac," Mia said, rubbing her arm shamefully as she stared at the ground.

"Forget about it, Mia; I was being too pushy," He said with a sigh. "I won't be again."

She nodded, and whispered, "You were just trying to be caring…"

Isaac shrugged, and sighed once more. "Okay, I'm going to go back up top… but before I do, I wanted to say one more thing."

"Oh… okay. What is it?" Mia asked uncertainly. Isaac was acting unusually nervous, and she wasn't quite sure of what to make of it.

Isaac stared at her with a blank expression for a few moments, and Mia could see much internal conflict going on with him. After a few moments, he pulled something out of his armor, and laid it on her desk. "I found this in the room you went in when you ran off," He stated, as she stretched her neck to see what it was. She felt her breathing halt; on the desk, laid the knife she had nicked herself with, still bloodied.

Her head rushed with numerous excuses and fabrications, and her mouth began to sputter utter nonsense, but he simply said, "I didn't tell Garet and Ivan, and I don't plan on doing so or bringing it up again. I don't even know what happened. But if you ever want to talk, I'm here, as are they." He nodded to affirm that statement, and her face remained flooded with disbelief. "And I'll be keeping an eye on you… because I care."

With that, he turned around and closed the door behind him, leaving Mia's mind filled with torrenting thoughts of her newfound relationship with Garet, Isaac's knowledge (no matter how small) of her ritual and her secret, and what her mother would truly thinking of her, looking down from above as their ship slowly sailed across the vast ocean.

* * *

><p><em>Steam Shipping is really cute. Something about Garet's dumb-masculine big guy routine just fits with Mia's benevolence and cheery nature. There will be more of it to come, but with Mia having reservations about it of course.<em>

_This was the last part of this so called "arc", and the next chapter will be back to Jenna and the other gang. Doing what? I really have no idea. Lessons to learn; WRITE DOWN PLOT IDEAS. I'm doing that with Something Worth Waiting For and it's paying off. Need to do it for this, MTJATE, and LoV (holy crap it spells love. After so many terrible acronyms – AGS, MTJATE, LTBS, SWWF, etc – I made a decent one. I am so proud)._

_Now, I want to highlight what is probably by biggest issue with this fic: I am not sure if I can write a lesbian relationship correctly. And not in terms of the romance (I would say that Sveta and Karis from MTJATE was one of my better shipping attempts, but that may just be me), but in terms of actually dealing with the persecution and feelings of someone questioning their sexuality, I'm kind of at a slight loss._

_Which is understandable; I'm a straight male. So, if anyone has any experience in that regard, or even if you don't, and something seems to be really out-of-place or nonsensical, chances are you're right and I need to fix it. So, I would appreciate feedback as to whether or not Mia is coming off as a sympathetic character who is ruled by this dominant urge to be a good person, and is very loyal to her creed and therefore suffering mightily, or something else entirely (same goes for if I'm portraying Jenna well)._

_I love Mia; she's one of my favorite characters. I hate that I have to make nearly every shipping with her somewhat depressing, but it's just the way things are: her parents are dead, she is more or less alone trying to keep her entire town alive, her best friend betrayed everything she stood for, and she failed to do the most important thing in her life (keep Mercury Lighthouse unlit). That has to hurt. I wish the games that touched on that more, actually. Perhaps, though, in a one-shot, I will touch upon her bad luck and make her just so happy go lucky that she can deal with it all. Yeah, I think I'll do that. That would be sweet. Tomorrow is my off day, so I could work on that._

_I can't tell if I'm making Ivan too OOC or not; I figure there's wiggle room there, as he's young but wise. I'm just leaning on his more childish side I guess at this point. Garet's always enjoyable to write. Also, next chapter with the original party, look out for Ivan decidedly getting some action. The lil' stud._

_Last thing before I stop ranting: I've mentioned this in other fics, but it's worth repeating and directly concerns this one. I'm trying out a new schedule where with the four multi-chaptered fics I'm writing (this being one of them) I update each once every two weeks. This means I have about 3.5 days to write each chapter for each, or 3 days for each and then a rest/random day in the middle. Issues with this: I don't know if I can keep up that production. I'm sure as hell going to try though. Second issue: I don't want my writing to suffer, as I already think it is from the current lack of editing I'm doing._

_At this point, I usually do a twenty-hour long edit depending on the size of the chapter. I used to do about two-three hours, and the drop-off in quality is noticeable. I don't think I've ever come close to touching Shoreline yet, and I worry that by strangling myself with dates I'm going to limit my writing. We'll see how it goes. Cheers, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!_


	7. Into the Serpent's Maw

_Author's Note: Those looking for slash fluff, there be none here. After forever, I'm writing an action scene (I think the last time was… freaking Shoreline? Damn. Six months). Here we go._

* * *

><p>Chapter 7: Into the Serpent's Maw<p>

"SHEBA! GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY!" Sheba, who had been checking Susa for injuries, turned toward the Serpent having heard Felix's warning shout, and with a squeak of fright jumped backwards, pulling Susa with her. If she had waited a second longer, she would have been slammed into the stone wall by the Serpent's sizable maw. Its head collided with the stone, sending fissures all through the wall and causing the ceiling to quake.

Sheba scrambled over to Felix and Jenna, fear gripping her face. "T-Thanks Felix," She huffed as the Venus Adept crouched and examined the young man from Izumo. He seemed to be relatively free of burns, which made Felix raise an eyebrow; he had taken a direct hit from that fireball. Not dwelling on it, Felix quickly pulsed a few Cures into Susa, and then raised his eyes back to the Serpent… which was yawning. Even THAT was terrifying, as it revealed teeth upon thin, bladed teeth. Its thin tongue sliced through the air with such dexterity that the Venus Adept's eyes could barely keep track of it.

Felix frowned. When your enemy refused to take you seriously in the slightest, it was usually a bad sign in battle. "F-Felix? That thing should be weakened, right? I mean… Susa gave it all that Dragon's Bane, and we hit it with all the lights…" Sheba said fearfully, causing him to narrow his eyes. What he had seen so far was definitely not a positive indicator for their likelihood of success, but Sheba seemed more terrified than he had ever seen her, and this was the girl who had fallen off a Lighthouse to her certain doom and fought all sorts of monsters alongside him. He needed to calm her down, and fast.

"It is weakened, we just need to hit it fast and hard," Felix replied, sounding much more confident than he felt. "…Are you alright Sheba? You seem very frightened."

She blushed and looked away from him, before muttering with a shiver, "Don't… like… snakes."

"Ah," Felix muttered dryly, spying a glance at the Serpent who was still quite aloof, and actually eyeing one of the jars of Dragon's Bane as if it was considering simply ignoring them and going back to its meal. "I could see how that might cause some problems… try to think of it as more of a dragon, like the villagers said, alright?" She nodded, and he was pleased to see some steely resolve shine through in her eyes.

"SERPENT FUME!" Jenna shouted, causing both of them to glance at her and then the Serpent, and then promptly dive out of the way. It had flung itself toward them at a rapid speed, and opened its mouth wide as the Serpent Fume (the irony of the attack was not lost on Felix) flew into it.

The guardian swallowed it whole as it flew, and landed on the other side of the room. Then it turned its face back to them, and with what Felix could swear was a smug expression, burped out a few flames. Felix gritted his teeth; Saturos and Menardi's constant asinine sarcasm had caused him to detest arrogance in battle and in general, and the Serpent was already nearing his last few nerves.

"Felix, what if this thing actually is a God?" Jenna asked worriedly, and, knowing his sister, Felix could tell the true question she was asking was "Are we out of our league?"

"Then we're all about to become God-slayers and heathens," Felix grunted, and then mentally berated himself. Other habits Saturos had instilled in him; terribly overdramatic battle lines. "Piers, now!"

The Mercury Adept, who had been trying to flank the Serpent (and therefore had switched directions three times), leapt off an overhang and landed on its back, wailing again and again into its back with his Captain's Axe; Felix smiled as the Serpent roared. "Not so invulnerable huh," He muttered, but then groaned as he noticed what Piers was doing. "PIERS! THIS ISN'T A RODEO!"

"Yeehaw!" Shouted the Lemurian as he rode the Serpent, now firing Ice Psynergy again and again into its back and sending a few stray shots near its head, half of which hit. "Yee – uh oh." Felix winced as Piers was sent flying, but breathed a sigh of relief when he landed on his feet.

"Okay! Enough screwing around! Piers, focus on healing, and Jenna, help him when everyone gets low! Both of you him with your Psynergy when you get the shot, but be cautious with close-range attacks, we've all seen how damn fast he is!" Felix barked battle orders as the other three Adepts formed around him. He glanced to see Jenna shaky but determined, Piers now serious and calm, and Sheba shaking lightly. "I'll heal and revive when needed, and focus on physical attacks!" He gripped his Mist Sabre with new resolve.

"Piers, use Djinn as you see fit and summon, and Jenna, try to use only a few to keep your Aura available," He continued, now more stoically, as the Serpent began to turn fully toward them. "And Sheba…" He turned to the small girl, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're the most important of all; he's weak to Jupiter."

"H-How can you tell?" Sheba questioned, and he squeezed her shoulder to try to calm her.

"This is Gaia Rock, as we've deduced; I'm fairly sure that his element is Venus, so he's weak to wind as a result. So, hit him with everything you've got!" He shouted, trying to rouse excitement and resolve in her, but she only gulped. As the dragon roared he squeezed her shoulder even tighter and shouted, "Sheba! You can do it! I believe in you!" She glanced up at him, and he could see her fighting to regain her strength, hey green eyes still vibrating in fear.

"Do you remember what you said after we made our way to Dalia?" He asked gently, crouching down and taking her hand in his.

"FELIX! PAY ATTENTION TO THE FUCKING DRAGON!" Jenna swore as it roared once more, the entire room shaking from its fury. Piers shot her a disapproving look at her language, but Felix paid no attention.

"How you said you would find a way to repay me for jumping off of Venus?" He continued calmly, as if they were simply resting on the deck of the boat, rather than about to fight an ancient beast of myth. She nodded uncertainly, and he said, "Well, now is the time. I know you; you're fierce and powerful, and you are not going to let that stupid gecko—" The Serpent roared once more, causing Felix to wonder if it understood human speech "—To beat us, are you? You can do it; believe in yourself, like I believe in you."

Her face calmed with his words, and as he spoke the last few her eyes glowed with warmth. "I won't let you down, Fe—"

"MOVE!" Piers shouted, interrupting the moment, and Felix immediately stepped back from Sheba and whipped his sword out. But, he was too late…

"BLITZ!" Sheba screamed, attacking first, and flying into the Serpent, smacking its upper jaw. It let out a shriek as it retreated, and Sheba jumped backwards gracefully. Felix's and her eyes met briefly, and they shared a nod, smiles etched on their faces. The moment passed, and without speaking the party burst into action.

The battle was a long slog, as Felix had feared it would be. The Serpent had a deceptive quickness to it, and seemed to strike when you least expected it; its miniature guillotines nearly found one of Felix's limbs in this way more than once. Every time it missed, the miss seemed to be closer than the last, and it would flash the Venus Adept a smile, as if to say he didn't have long before the bites began to connect. As Felix was attacking it up front, he was withstanding the majority of the Serpent's various attacks, and as such felt a nearly constant stream of soothing Mercury Psynergy coursing through him from Piers as he swung and dodged.

The Serpent's hide was at tough as the very stone of the chamber, and Felix wished he had possessed the foresight to equip a long-sword in order to have better cutting power. As it stood, if he sliced with all his might he did good damage, and had left trails of ripped flesh and torn scales across the Serpent's body as a result. However, this left him open, and more than once he had been smacked by the beast as well as struck with its ample Psynergy.

At least he had been right about it being of Venus, he thought as he dodged a Quake-Sphere. Still, he wasn't exactly fond to know he had any similarity to the woman-stealing monster in front of him. It was also quite hard to assault, as its body was in constant twisting motion.

Jenna was flinging every bit of Mars Psynergy she had at the Serpent, and he couldn't help but feel pride well within him for her strength; she fought bravely in battle. On some instances, she would cast her Glower Staff forward, and send Flash Force into the beast, which, judging by its cries of pain every time she did so, was quite effective. The unleash had sealed the Serpent's Psynergy once as well.

Piers was too focused on healing him to do much else, besides an occasional Glacier and a support Djinn now and again.

Sheba, though, was whipping up a storm, literally. Plasma after Plasma, Ray after Ray, and torrents of wind were constantly buffeting the beast, and it was clearly starting to weaken as a result. Her Hagbone Mace had seen little action, which he was thankful for, as he had no desire to see her get up close and personal with the Serpent, but she had struck it a few times with Djinn.

As Felix jumped away from a Briar, Jenna cast a particularly potent Serpent Fume, eliciting a scream from the dragon as the flaming entity crashed into its already wounded side. She gave her brother a wink, letting him know that she found the name of the Psynergy quite fitting and amusing in this battle as well. In a rage, the Serpent shifted its attention to her and spewed thick Black Ice from its jaws. Time seemed to freeze as Felix watched Jenna, her eyes widening as the unavoidable attack neared her, cross her arms in a futile attempt at protection. He felt his breathing stop; she was low of health, and…

"Shade!" Piers shouted, and the Black Ice reflected off the watery barrier that quickly covered Jenna. She peaked her head out from behind her arms after a split-second, and sighed, preparing a healing spell for herself.

"Thanks for the save Piers! I owe you one!" Jenna shouted, and Felix released his breath. She wasn't the only one who owed the Mercury Adept thanks, he thought. Lost in his relief, he didn't notice the Serpent turn its gaze back towards him.

He looked up just as it was about to close the distance, its burning and hungry eyes and wide-open jaw making it clear that it had no intention to let him get away once more.

"WAFT!" Came another cry, and just as the Serpent's tongue scraped Felix's chest Sheba came flying through the air and slammed into the monster, sending it careening away from him. She landed holding her shoulder, and flashed him a weak smile. Felix didn't even have time to return it before the Serpent's tail came down in a Might Press, directly on Sheba's small form. She barely had the time to glance up.

"SHEBA!" Felix screamed, rushing forward to assault the Serpent, which at that moment leapt backwards, its grin now mocking. He swallowed, and glance down to find the young Jupiter Adept with her mace now snapped — along with her arm. Felix resisted the urge to puke at the grisly injury. Her arm was bleeding profusely, and had been broken at the elbow joint in such a way that her bones were jutting out from her skin. The look on her poor face summed up exactly how painful it was.

"Not… me… Serpent," She coughed, blood sliding down her cheek from her mouth. He was amazed she was alive, and as much as it pained him to do so, Felix took her advice and glanced at her mauler.

"YOU BASTARD!" Came a scream from Jenna, who sent loose torrents of Mars Psynergy at that moment, determined to make the dragon pay for injuring her friend. Most of it found its target, but the Serpent seemed only slightly phased, and spewed out more Black Ice at Jenna, who this time was unable to dodge or defend against it, and fell to her knees, breathing heavily.

"I'll come heal Sheba, you fight the Serpent!" Piers shouted, dashing towards Felix and the fallen girl, only to be thrown asunder by a Quake Sphere. The Serpent growled with a hint of satisfaction as it viewed both fallen warriors, then turned to Felix, the last of the party of their feet.

He grimaced, realizing he had to leave Sheba in order to defend her, but fearful that she would bleed out. He raised his sword and glared with pure venom at the monstrosity, but both his gaze and the dragon's were quickly drawn to the glowing purple light next to him.

"I call… upon… Thor," Sheba forced out with significant effort. "Electrocute the bastard." As the familiar pattern began to form in front of her, Felix fell to his knees and began to pump all the healing Psynergy he knew into her body. He worked slowly, not trusting his abilities and not wanting to heal her arm the wrong way, ever-mindful of the God currently wailing his Hammer into the Serpent again and again, and the beast's accompanying cries.

After a few moments, he breathed out, as her arm became much more normal, albeit still frail. She had tried to stay strong, but had whimpered when he had been force to twist her arm back into place before healing. He had number the pain as best he could, but—

All breath left Felix's body as the Serpent's tail ran into his chest, sending him flying backwards. He didn't need to check to know more than a few of his bones were broken from the impact. He landed, gasping for breath, reaching for the Mist Sabre, which had fallen near him. The Serpent licked it lips with its lengthy tongue as it lurched toward him, savoring its apparent victory.

Felix reached further and scraped the edge of the handle, pushing it further away, drawing numerous swears out of him. He turned back to the Serpent, which let out a course breath, almost like a laugh, mocking his efforts. Felix stared back at the sword, and then, in a moment that was less genius and more why-didn't-I-think-of-this-before, he sent the ground the blade was upward, launching his sword and causing it to spiral toward him. He caught it in mid-air and slashed at the approaching Serpent blindly, slicing off its tongue.

Its roar of pain was deafening, and as he gulped in fear as the Serpent reared back in anger, its red slits glowing with absolute hatred, prepared to launch itself into him.

"AHHH!" A scream came from Felix's right, and he shifted his gaze to see Sheba, whose face was twisted in pain, raising the sword Susa had tried to kill the Serpent with above her head, her bloody arm quaking. She swung then with all her might, reaming the blade deep into the Serpent's back. From the crack Felix heard, he imagined the strike had actually hit the dragon's spine.

It roared, and its entire body seemed to shiver in mid-air for a moment before it collapsed in front of him. Felix scowled as the twitching beast snapped its mouth open and shut and tried to scoot itself toward him, still intent on getting its meal.

"Eat boot!" Felix shouted, kicking the Serpent in the nose, causing it to whimper once more.

"This ends now," Came a calm voice, and from above fell Susa, driving the sword deep into the Serpent's skull. Its eyes burned harshly once more, and Felix feared it would rise once more in rage, but then the red lights flickered, and became dark. The monster's body shook slightly, and then began to winkle, morphing into worn stone.

Satisfied that the Serpent was finally slayed, Felix quickly healed himself, took a hand from Susa to rise, and then rushed over to Piers, casting Revive. "Heal Jenna!" He shouted, and then turned and dashed to Sheba, pouring even more Psynergy into her. After a few moments, he felt his source run dry, and pulled out a Psy Crystal.

"It's okay, Felix…" Sheba whispered with a weak smile. "I'll be fine, there's no need to waste a Psy—"

"Are you joking?" Felix questioned in disbelief, quickly using the crystal and returning to healing her. After a few moments, and once Jenna and Piers had walked over to them, he finally finished, holding her hand in his as she lied still on the ground.

"I told you to fight hard, not try to kill yourself," He teased lightly, and she smiled brighter.

"Says the guy whose life I just saved twice," She retorted, lifting her arm slowly and giving him a shaky punch to the shoulder.

He grinned widely, and felt tears form in his eyes, relief seeping through his body with the knowledge that she was going to be okay. "You were amazing, Sheba." She giggled and nodded, before she yawned and blinked a few times. "Rest, now; I'll carry you back." She nodded very slightly, her head just barely bobbing forward. Her eyes then closed, and she drifted to a well-earned sleep.

"Did you four come here to help me?" Susa asked, having waited to be sure that Sheba was alright before speaking.

Felix turned and nodded, and Piers replied, "Yes, we heard of your plight, and figured we may be able to help."

Susa frowned, and responded, "As thankful as I am for your help, I feel terrible; you and your friends nearly gave their lives… especially the young one." He gestured to Sheba. "She fought with more bravery and valiance than men twice her size and age. Thank you all so much for your bravery and aid… even though, perhaps, next time you should consider leaving well enough alone. I probably could have taken him."

Piers quickly put his hand over Jenna's mouth before she could begin to berate Susa, who then turned and stared at the body of the Serpent. "I'm going to go back to town, and let everyone know that the danger has passed," Susa said. "My thanks."

Felix nodded and stood, lifting Sheba into his arms, but as he turned to follow Susa a rumbling came from behind him. He turned to see a tablet rise out of the ground, and smiled; who said good deeds weren't rewarded?

"Told you it was Gaia Rock," Jenna whispered, elbowing Piers in the ribs and giggling.

"Piers, take Sheba, I'm going to—"

"Oh, I nearly forgot!" Susa exclaimed, nearly at the door. "…what is that… ah, I can't remember the old saying. Anyway, if you'd like that sword, The Cloud Brand, check under the Serpent's body. I almost left without saying; imagine, if you had wanted to get it you would have needed to travel through the entire maze again! Thankfully it crossed my mind." The young-man then exited after another bow.

"…And things keep getting better," Felix said with a smile, reaching under the body of the Serpent (after giving its corpse a few kicks) and pulling out said weapon. "Finally, I can get a long sword… Piers, you want the Mist Sabre?"

"Really? Yes!" Piers exclaimed, as he had been eyeing the sword as of late.

Felix then sheathed the new blade, and walked over to the tablet. Breathing deeply, he raised his hand, and slowly began to rise in the air. Balls of energy flew from the tablet and engulfed him, and he felt his body grow stronger.

As he lowered, he flexed both his hands, and turned to Piers and Jenna, the latter of which was rolling her eyes. "What?" He inquired, and she sighed.

"…Everyone but me has gotten to float in the freaking air and get some new Psynergy," She seethed, but then smiled jokingly, and he shook his head in disbelief. "What does it do, anyway?"

Felix shrugged, and tried to draw the power out. After a second of focusing with his eyes closed, he tried to speak and say that nothing was happening, but as he did no sound came out. Felix then tried to open his eyes, and what he saw confused him… it looked like he was stuck in the ground—"Oh," He tried to say, even though no sound came out once more. Cool.

He reappeared, above ground, and now Jenna was definitely displaying signs of jealousy. "I swear, mine better be as cool as all of yours," She muttered, shaking her head, causing Piers to chuckle.

"Thank Venus none of you three have this Psynergy," Felix remarked dryly, as he took Sheba in his arms once more from Piers. "You three tricksters would wreak all kinds of hell." Jenna and Piers made to argue against that point, then looked at each other and burst out laughing, realizing Felix was indeed correct.

"I wonder what this Serpent really was," Piers murmured after his laughter settled down, staring at its now broken form. "Maybe it was some kind of God, and it slowly grew insane being cooped up in here?"

"Its power was nothing to scoff at," Felix replied, his brow still creased from worry as he imagined how badly their battle could have ended. "Thankfully we came by in time to save that poor girl."

"Mmmhmmm… good opportunity for you to show Sheba how heroic you are too!" Jenna teased, ruffling Felix's hair, which he couldn't avoid as he was holding Sheba. After she ceased, and he stopped glaring at her, he looked down to the sleeping Jupiter Adept. She was fast asleep, and looked at peace. A small smile lit his face.

"I'd day it was more the other way around, to be honest," He whispered quietly, and as he did so Piers and Jenna shared a knowing look, but both, for once, refrained from poking fun at the Venus Adept. "Let's get out of here… even if its dead, that thing still sends shivers down my spine." All three glanced at the Serpent and slightly cringed, then nodded in agreement.

And with that, he cast Retreat, and they teleported to the entrance, happy to leave the Serpent's body behind.

* * *

><p><em>SHEBA! BADASS SHEBA! I freaking love Sheba. Uh… well this chapter was a change of pace. I just realized I hadn't done a fight scene in forever, and wanted to because, you know, that's what half of the game consists of : . I haven't written one in a while, and I really enjoyed it. That being said, I honestly don't know how this chapter got as long as it did; originally this fight scene was supposed to be a segue into the Izumo celebration, and about 1,000 words long, but it became its own beast, and I ran with it._

_Before this chapter, I was actually not planning on shipping Sheba/Felix, but now I think I'm going to end up doing so. Probably some Felix/Piers in the middle, at least though. I don't know, besides Mia/Jenna not much is set in stone. I'd like to have one male slash ship though, because I need to work on those and haven't really written one yet._

_So, that's kind of why this was more Felix/Sheba and less Jenna. To begin with, a battle fic focusing on Jenna would be fine, but it makes more sense to show it through Felix as he's the leader and would be commanding and viewing everyone. And I felt randomly shifting into Jenna after it would be kind of jarring, so I let the chapter stand a bit shorter._

_I liked a lot of the moments in here, probably my favorite being the little knock on the actual game with the Susa line about almost forgetting to mention the Cloud Brand :P I also tried to make the Serpent really fearful, because as far as I'm concerned he's one of the more terrifying bosses in the game. Freaking giant dragon._

_The next chapter will be a tiny bit Sheba/Felix, but mostly Jenna :P. I miss writing Jenna. I haven't done it for forever in this fic, and she's one of my favorite characters._

_I was afraid of getting this posted on time for Wednesday, but somehow I forced myself to ignore sleep and get it done, on Monday no less. Of course, it's 2:25 and I have a crap-ton of homework, but that's another story, and I'm happy I got this done._

_If I can manage it, there's a good chance I'll try to post another chapter of this fic on Thursday as this was kind of short (or at least it didn't do everything I wanted it to). Thanks for reading!_


	8. The Night of Bright Lights

_This. Took. Forever. It's not even the longest chapter I've written, it's just HUGE. And no matter how many times I tried to chip away at it, it just got delayed, delayed, and delayed. I apologize for how late this is (was due Wednesday). It goes without saying that LoV is going to be delayed as well, hopefully until only tomorrow. Hopefully._

_This chapter is very multi-versed too; lots of different scenes and what-not. Figuratively, I could have split it up (there was an okay break point right in the middle), but I decided against it. I didn't want to linger in Izumo, it held a lot of good plot-points for me to work on, but not enough for me to think that I should split it. Alright, here we go._

* * *

><p>Chapter 8: The Night of Bright Lights<p>

"A word, Felix? It's the least you can do, after trying to read my mind twice," Said Uzume from the door of her house as Felix stepped down the stairs, Sheba now riding on his back. The Jupiter Adept had protested much, but he had carried her back to the city, and then had her rest on a chair the entire length of their party's conversation with the Izumans.

After much insisting she was fine, Jenna had nudged her and whispered, "Sheba, when he gets like this you just have to go along with it. It happened to me all the time when I was younger, and the only way you can get him to stop is if you beat the crap out of him. Which you could probably do if you weren't exhausted… actually he may have a point." Sheba had rolled her eyes, but had listened to the Mars Adept's advice and had obeyed Felix's safety measures, albeit with an annoyed look.

"…Sorry about that," Felix grumbled to Uzume, nodding in acceptance of her request. While he had spent a good hour or so speaking with Uzume, Kushinada, and Susa, he was willing to converse with her more, as she was quite an intriguing person. At the least, he had always wondered where else in Weyard Venus Adepts might reside, and was quite pleased to have found an outcropping, however small.

"Let me just carry Sheba to the inn and—"

"FOR JUPITER'S SAKE, FELIX, I'M FINE," Sheba growled.

"Sheba… it's not too far, let me take—OW, hell!" Felix shouted as Sheba grasped his hair and pulled as hard as she could. "Stop! Ow! Dammit! Sheba! Fine, I'll let you down!"

"THANK you," Sheba said in relief, as Felix gently crouched down and she jumped off. "Whoops!" She exclaimed as she stumbled a bit, her legs wobbly. Felix sent a stern look her way, and she smiled shakily. "I'm fine! Really!"

"I'll help her—"

"I can help her back, Felix!" Jenna chimed in, interrupting Piers, who gave the Mars Adept a questioning look but then shrugged.

"…Okay," Felix replied, his face emotionless. Jenna smiled cheerily, she being the only person present who knew that in reality he was incredibly suspicious of her but did not want to cause undue arguing with Sheba once more. "Give her a few Auras if necessary, okay?" Jenna nodded with a smile, and he shrugged. "Talk to you guys soon."

"Actually, what I would ask concerns all of you," Uzume said, drawing the gaze of all. "Would you indulge me and stay for the festival we will be hosting in celebration of Kushinada's safety? It is held partly in your honor."

Felix was very aware by the longing looks Sheba and Jenna sent him that he had no chance of saying no and getting away with it. He himself would greatly appreciate some nice rest, and could hardly find a reason to say no. "Yes, that would be great; thank you for the offer. We still stay for the festival." Sheba and Jenna both shared squeals of delight, while Kraden and Piers smiled.

"I am glad to hear it," Uzume responded warmly. "Now I would ask to speak with Felix alone, if that is alright." The party shared looks and nodded.

As she and Sheba turned, the older girl offering the younger her arm around the younger's back, Felix pointed to his eyes, to Piers, and then to the two girls. Piers knew quite well what the Venus Adept meant, but simply shrugged with a non-committal grin, and walked away. Felix glared at Pier's ridiculous blue hair as the Mercury Adept followed the girls, then sighed.

"No respect," He muttered, eliciting a chuckle from Uzume. "Oh!" Felix said, embarrassed to have kept her waiting so long. "I apologize! What you would like to discuss?"

"Well… it's complicated…" Uzume began with a cough.

"Oh?" Asked Felix, raising an eyebrow.

"…Has your sister Jenna… oh, I worry I am being imposing, but really…"

"Lady Uzume," Felix said calmly, and she became silent and waited for him to continue. "Please, just let out whatever you are trying to say; what is this about Jenna?"

Lady Uzume smiled, and replied, "It is very cute, how protective you are of her, and of Sheba, obviously. That is not what I wished to say, however; I would like to know if Jenna has ever talked to you about her relationships, or her feelings towards women."

"Ah," Felix replied quickly. He paused for a moment, his thoughts like gears that had been halted by a tiny pin. And then, in a snap, the pin was crushed, and Felix's eyes widened. _She knows._ How on earth could she? It didn't make any sense. He had been fearful of what might happen when someone discovered Jenna's secret, but had not imagined it would occur now.

He stared down Uzume for a moment, who was looking at him with a questioning… almost bemused expression. "You know, then?" He said bluntly.

"Ah, so I was correct," Uzume whispered, breaking his line of sight and becoming pensive for a moment. "Unless this is just a misunderstanding, and you do not understand my meaning. I'm sorry, I'll be clearer. Is Jenna attracted towards women?"

"ACK NOT IN PUBLIC!" Felix nearly shouted, reacting badly to her words. He glanced back and forth, and once convinced no one had heard or was in ear-shot, whispered, "Yes… she says she likes both sexes. Or she wants to try both. Why do you ask? I swear… if you try to hurt her or out her in public I will—"

"No! No, nothing like that!" Uzume replied quickly, moving her hands in a calming motion. "I was merely curious, because I am of the same ilk. In other words, I am a lesbian." Felix stared blankly at her, and then she nodded in understanding, and added, "Which is a woman who is solely attracted to other women."

"Oh," Felix replied, nodding in understanding. "Um… if you don't mind me asking, how did you know, and why did you ask?"

"Well, to be honest, she was looking at one of my attendants very earnestly as we conversed," Uzume replied with a smile. "And the reason I ask is because I know the difficulties involved with feeling such feelings for the same sex. It was very grating for me, early on."

Felix frowned, and whispered, "I'm sorry to hear that. Jenna was very worried about telling me at first… I wasn't thrilled to be honest, simply because I knew little about it, but she's a great person, and my sister, and that meant more to me than some old laws and codes made centuries ago."

"So you are supportive of her bisexuality?" Uzume asked, and he nodded.

"Yes; whatever makes her happy I will support," Felix replied. "If you don't mind me asking… how does the town feel about it?"

"Oh, they weren't pleased at first, but Susa threatened to do terrible things to them if they didn't let it go," Uzume said with a slightly annoyed tone at her brother's threats, but the twinkle in her eye let Felix know that deep down his support had meant much to her.

"I'm glad to hear that… I'm worried about how our parents will react, to be honest," Felix muttered. "Not to mention our town… they're very… rigid in their social beliefs."

Uzume nodded sadly. "I will not lie, Felix, she may face a hard life. If you would like me to talk to her, I would be more than willing."

"That… that would be good," Felix replied, thinking the situation over. "Uh… do you have a significant other?"

"No, I am single," Uzume replied. "I am happy though, and that's what matters; especially since my brother and his lover are both safe." She smiled brightly and he returned it.

"But… er… when you talk to Jenna… you know…" He stuttered, afraid to put his thoughts into words. She raised an eyebrow, and he sighed. "Do you have… interest in Jenna?"

"Oh… I see what you mean," Uzume replied with a pensive nod. "I am… hesitant to say as much, because she is a bit younger than I, and we have known each other for so little time. I assume you will leave shortly?" Felix nodded. "So, it would not work. I can give her advice, though. She should be fine, she is a strong girl, but it is always nice to have someone to relate to."

"She is…"Felix whispered with a smile. "Well, I'm going to go get some rest before tonight. I shall see you then, Lady Uzume. Thank you for your kindness."

"Oh, please," She replied, patting him on the back. "You saved our town; the pleasure is all mine." With another wave, they parted, Uzume climbing the steps back into her house, and Felix beginning to walk toward the inn for a well-deserved rest.

* * *

><p>"What are you two scheming?" Piers asked politely. He had been eyeing Sheba and Jenna, who had been constantly whispering amongst each other. Sheba would often blush at Jenna's words, while the Mars Adept was very giggly.<p>

"S-Scheming? She's teasing me!" Sheba accused, her face flushed, pointing at Jenna, who giggled louder.

"About what?" Piers questioned, causing Sheba to quick close her lips and avert her eyes elsewhere.

"About how much of a crush she has on Felix, and how she fought so hard to protect him," Jenna said in a sing song voice, ruffling Sheba's hair.

"Y-You promised you wouldn't tell Piers!" Sheba stammered, stomping her foot, and Piers chuckled.

"Sheba, it isn't exactly a secret; it's cute, how you dote upon him," Piers replied with a teasing smile, and Sheba frowned.

"Great, both of you are teasing me now… what about you, Kraden? You don't think I'm all lovesick around him, do you?" Sheba asked.

The old man smiled and replied, "Ah, young love; there's nothing wrong for caring for someone, Sheba."

"I hate you all," Sheba whispered quietly, causing even more laughter to erupt.

After it died down, Piers said, still slightly chuckling, "Alright, I'm going to head to the inn and rest until the party. What of you three?"

"I'll join you. I grew quite tired sitting on that rock far, far away from the battle with the Serpent," Kraden replied jokingly with a smile.

"And we'll just mull around the town a bit more, if that's okay," Jenna said quickly, before Sheba could reply. The Jupiter Adept eyed her friend in confusion, as did the two males.

"Shouldn't Sheba rest, though?" Piers asked, and Sheba shot a look at Jenna that seemed to ask the same question.

"We'll be gone for no longer than an hour, don't worry," Jenna replied, looking pleadingly at Sheba, who sighed and shrugged.

"…Alright, have fun you two!" Piers said, sharing a questioning look with Kraden as the two girls turned back toward the town.

* * *

><p>"…Uh, Jenna, are we doing what I think we're doing?" Sheba asked nervously, and Jenna nodded giddily. "…Jenna, you know I don't like it…"<p>

"…Sheba," Jenna whispered, halting. "If you really don't, we don't have to… it's just I have no other way."

"I know that, but it goes against my beliefs," Sheba replied, squeezing Jenna's hand.

"Please," Jenna said softly, pressing closer to Sheba, her eyes wide and innocent. "For me?"

Sheba bit her lip, but after a moment sighed. "Okay, Jenna," The Jupiter Adept replied quietly after a moment. "I understand why you need me; I just hate reading other peoples' minds about such personal matters!"

"I know, Sheba," Jenna said compassionately, rubbing the young girls arm. "So if you don't want to, you don't have to. But I have no other way of figuring out another girl's sexuality. I can't exactly just go up and ask girls; who knows how they might react? I just… would like to find another girl like me. But… if you really don't want to…"

"It's okay," Sheba replied with a smile. "I know you're just trying to find someone who can understand what you're going through, and since I can't be that person, I'd at least like to help you find someone who can be."

"Awww!" Jenna said, hugging Sheba tightly. "You're such a good friend; not to mention a great warrior. I'm sure you caught Felix's eye today in battle." She gave Sheba a wink, causing the younger girl to groan.

"Let's focus on you, not me," Sheba deflected. Jenna giggled and nodded, and Sheba let out a sigh of relief. "Well, we haven't had much luck previously, but we've only been to two towns since you… started liking girls, but hopefully we can find someone here." Jenna nodded once more, and they began their routine.

The two girls would slowly walk, with Jenna prattling on about random topics and such, while Sheba ignored her and slowly read the minds of the different girls around them. Izumo was a fairly small town, with no more than one hundred residents Sheba estimated, so she assumed they would most likely come up empty-handed once again.

It wasn't like Jenna was looking to start a relationship; it wouldn't work, unless they brought the girl with them on the ship, which would be way too much trouble for a simple relationship, especially one that was so experimental. Still, Sheba knew Jenna desperately wanted to meet another girl like her.

She frowned at this thought, breaking her concentration to truly look at Jenna, who was smiling widely. Though the Mars Adept rarely showed it, Sheba feared that Jenna was genuinely becoming distressed over the lack of other girls who felt the same way as she did. As strong and as confident as Jenna was, Sheba couldn't image that she was pleased, and worried that the lack of success was beginning to wane on her.

Indeed, Jenna's though were mostly the same as they walked. _…Piers said that girls in Lemuria felt this way, but it seems like no one else does. What if I'm… a freak? What if this really IS wrong? I don't care about being different, but… I'd at least like someone who understands my feelings, _the young girl thought, her smile fading slightly. It continued to fade as they walked longer and longer.

Sheba eventually noticed, and halted, with Jenna following suit. "Jenna… don't get discouraged, I'm sure we'll find some girl. Besides, being different is fine; I mean, I fell from the sky, and that's pretty damn weird!"

"…Did you just read my mind?" Jenna asked cautiously, with Sheba shaking her head in response. "Oh… I thought you might have, because that's pretty much what I've been thinking of. I mean… you think one other girl!"

"I know… we haven't gone over to that side of the village though," Sheba said hopefully. "Let's try—"

"No, Sheba," Jenna replied somewhat bitter-sweetly with a sigh. "Let's just go back to the inn… you need rest, and I doubt we'll find any success here." Sheba frowned, but only nodded, and they began to walk back to the inn.

Jenna searched for something to raise her spirits, and to her surprise she quickly found something to do just that; her lips raised in a curve as she witnessed the obvious joy and relief present on nearly all of the villagers' faces. The young women seemed to be especially relieved, and Jenna could understand why. Sure, they had not been picked in the lottery this year, but it would have been a continuous cycle, putting every girl at risk year after year. As happy as she was to have reunited Susa and Kushinada, it dawned on her that they had also saved many other young women from years of fear and pain. The thought brought a large smile to her face.

_And Susa… in order to be with Kushinada, he first had to change from a wild young man to a sturdy, noble one, and then he had to slay the Serpent,_ Jenna thought to herself, her spirits rising. _I shouldn't give up… I should fight like him. I'm not going to let the lack of success get to me… there's bound to be someone else out there. _

They had now reached the inn, and entered. After receiving heapings of praise from the inn's owner and his wife, they went into the back. Sheba yawned, and plopped onto her bed. "Yep! I'm beat!" She said with a playful yawn, snuggling up against the pillow. It wasn't the best bed she had slept in on their journey, but it beat the ground they sometimes needed to resort to.

Jenna watched Sheba with a longing smile on her face. She was so perfect for Felix, but Jenna couldn't help but feel a slight bit of jealousy…

"Jenna? You napping too?" Sheba asked, to which Jenna shook her head after a few moments of thought. Sheba shrugged, and with another yawn, curled up to sleep. Jenna smiled once more, admiring her friend's beauty and youth, before turning to leave the inn.

* * *

><p>The young girl walked aimlessly through the town, searching for something to occupy her mind. Indeed, it was plenty busy, and she wished it were not so; it wasn't that she was tired, it's just that she didn't believe that with her mind so ablaze that sleep would find her easily.<p>

So, she continued her stroll, until she reached a small hill that had a direct view of the ocean. With a soft sigh, Jenna plopped down onto the ground, spreading out amongst the green grass. Even as her head pounded, the sun's rays and comfortable grass between her and the ground seemed to relax her quite well.

She stayed like that for a long while, the events of the day and her thoughts of Sheba and the world around her slowly trickling through her mind like sap running down a tree. It was obvious the Jupiter Adept had feelings for Felix, she mused as a breeze bent the grass surrounding her. Jenna imagined that, per usual, he would be a stubborn arse and refuse to requite them even though it was obvious he liked her as well.

So, either way, she should be over Sheba; there was no doubt that, somehow, Sheba and Felix would end up dating. Oddly enough, though, Jenna had a feeling that she held this outcome in her hands. She knew very well that if she brought up worries over Sheba's age to Felix, that he would refrain from anything romance with the younger girl, and Sheba would most likely react in a similar manner if Jenna mentioned that her feelings were leading to Felix feeling awkward.

She could set fire to their entire potential relationship, just like that. And, even worse, she knew that she could be the one to bring them together. Felix, being Felix, would need a third party he trusted to goad him into looking past Sheba's age, while Sheba would probably need just as much support and coaching, as Jenna could imagine the Jupiter Adept would indeed have to be the instigator of the idea.

Jenna didn't want to burn their relationship down, or light it up. No… she wanted Sheba. Which she knew was stupid, as she knew she COULDN'T have her. She still couldn't even tell if her feelings for the Laliveran were based on the fact that she was the only other girl on the ship, or if they were indeed something more. It was stupid to dwell on it, as thinking about it could prove disastrous if Sheba decided to Mind Read her, but it was sealed inside Jenna's mind.

And the idea of seeing her with someone else, even if it was Felix and it made him happy… she sighed, and shook her head. She had to let go, and the final act of getting over Sheba would BE pushing the two together. Realizing much time had passed since she had wandered from the inn, as proven by the setting sun, Jenna lifted herself from the ground and began to walk back to the town. Tonight would be a perfect opportunity to get Jupiter and Venus to mingle…

* * *

><p>"Were you gone this whole time?" Sheba asked, her hair slightly disheveled, leading Jenna to believe she had just gotten up. The Jupiter Adept was staring at two dress she held in her hands, and Jenna wondered what they were for.<p>

She nodded, while Sheba noticed her looking at the dresses, and said, "Uzume left us these dresses for the festival… I've been trying to figure out how the hell to put them on. The lady upfront said she'd help us if we couldn't figure it out, but I figured the two girls who plowed their way through Airs Rock could figure out how to put on a couple of dresses!" Sheba smiled widely, but then glanced uncertainly at the dresses she held; both were beautiful, the smaller one a light lavender with patterned dark purple birds, and the larger pink with patterned red dragons.

"I take it the one with the dragons is mine?" Jenna asked with a smile, and Sheba giggled.

"Yeah – you're not nearly as angry as a dragon, but you definitely share their passion for burning things," Sheba quipped, and Jenna giggled as well as the younger girl tried in vain to make some headway in getting herself into the dress.

"Here; let me help," The older girl said. Having some experience as a seamstress in Vale, she was quickly able to discern how to get into the dress, and offered to help Sheba put it on.

"…I could have figured it out myself, I just didn't want to rip it or anything," Sheba pouted as they began to strip to their undergarments.

"You seem to excel at defeating Serprents, but have a little trouble putting on clothes," Jenna teased, earning a glare from the Jupiter Adept.

"…At any rate, thanks for your help," Sheba whispered, and Jenna began to focus on getting the dress on her.

Before she could, though, the door burst open, with Felix asking, "Hey, are you guys almost ready?" before stopping in dead silence, his eyes widening. Sheba's eyes found his and her mouth fell open, quickly realizing she had very little clothing on.

Jenna couldn't tell what was funnier; that Felix had walked in on them changing, or that he was wearing clothing very similar to their dresses. The brown… thing he had on certainly suited him well, but she couldn't imagine what Uzume had said to him to convince him to actually WEAR it.

"Like what you see, Felix?" Jenna said teasingly, pushing Sheba forward slightly, causing the Jupiter Adept to gulp and avert her eyes, and Felix to stutter heavily. She was still wearing more than enough to pass for a light swimsuit, but that didn't make it any less embarrassing.

"Oh my," Came a soft voice from behind the door, and with a moment a hand stuck through it and pulled Felix back by his hair (the sound Felix made as this occurred sounded extremely close to that of a cat getting its tail pulled). "Sorry about that!" Piers said, sticking his head through the door while his eyes were closed with a nervous smile. "We'll be waiting for you in the lobby!"

"…And now he probably won't speak to me during the entire festival," Sheba seethed, turning her back to Jenna so she could begin to put on the dress. Jenna frowned, but then shivered slightly as her skin began to graze Sheba's. Still, she worked diligently; the dresses were quite complicated, with lots of little loops and hooks and such that came in different layers. All the while she felt her face flushing, praying that Sheba would not read her mind or notice.

"Hey, you okay?" Sheba asked on cue, eliciting a mental curse from Jenna. "You seem a little shaky."

Jenna though for a few hectic moments about how best to say how she felt, before coughing and muttering, "It's just a little awkward… since we're both not wearing clothes, and touching each other. But I'm almost done." She felt Sheba's back stiffen at her words.

"…Ah," The younger girl replied. "I'm sorry… I should have thought of that."

"No, I offered to help, and it's something I need to get over," Jenna replied, thankful she was actually close to finished. Before Sheba could ask whether or not she meant getting over her or getting over non-romantic physical contact with other girls, Jenna whispered, "You just need to be kind of forceful with Felix. Push him. You can do it."

To her relief, Sheba quickly became even more stiff; her attempt at changing the subject had worked. "It's clear he's not interested," The younger girl replied after a few quiet moments, and Jenna rolled her eyes.

"Did you see the look on his face when he walked in?" Jenna said, finally hooking the last loop. "There! And trust me Sheba, I know my brother. He thinks you're adorable, he's just caught up in your age and… being Felix. He really has never had much luck with girls."

"R-really?" Sheba asked, as Jenna started to fruitlessly put her dress on herself.

"Oh, yeah!" Jenna said with a giggle, memories coming back to her. "He was hopeless back in Vale. The first girl he asked to do anything with him he took on a date by the river, and accidently lost control of his Venus Psynergy, throwing them both into the water. I think he might have met someone up in Prox, but if that's so, there's ever more reason for you to try to start things up, as I can't imagine Felix pursued a relationship with a woman from Prox; you saw Menardi. I think there's no question that the Proxian was the one who sought him."

"…Huh, alright," Sheba whispered. "Thanks for the advice, Jenna; you're such a good friend and sister." Jenna couldn't help but blush at the kind words, but started when she felt Sheba's hands on her back. "Don't struggle! You helped me, let me help you," The Jupiter Adept replied giddily.

It was a blissful but awkward five minutes, as Sheba's soft hands slowly streaked across her back, but Jenna held her composure, minus some slight sweat. She remained silent for the most part, replying shortly but kindly to any of Sheba's conversation attempts. Finally, after a few moments Sheba proclaimed, "Done!" and Jenna let out a massive sigh.

"Alright… let's not keep them waiting," Jenna said, and then flashed an uneven smile. "Thank you for the help!" Sheba nodded with a smile as the Mars Adept turned, but then her smile dropped, and she stealthily raised her hand and cast Mind Read.

_I need to get over this,_ Jenna's voice sounded through her mind. _Once I see Sheba and Felix together, hopefully it will make it that much easier. I thought it wouldn't be this hard to act normally around her, but I swear my freaking body…_ Sheba released the connection, frowning. So, Jenna did still have feelings for her… it wasn't that she minded or felt anger toward the older girl, it was just difficult. Sheba knew it was hard to control one's emotions, and felt slightly guilty that Jenna had to confront these feelings daily, and was still kind enough to try to match-make her and Felix. Somehow, she would have to find a way to help her friend.

* * *

><p>By the time the group had exited the inn, the sun was barely visible on the horizon, casting all sorts of pinks, purples, and oranges in the sky. The entire town was crowded into the square, with numerous stands set up selling food, or in most cases, giving it away for the occasion. Bright lights hung everywhere, and the feeling that the breeze caught and spread through all of the town was one of jubilation and wonder.<p>

Many had already begun to dance; young men awkwardly propositioning the girls they had fancied for years, receiving giggles and bashful acceptances in return. The party couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of amazement at the spectacle, in part because they had caused it.

"Well, I believe you all clean up very nicely," Kraden commented kindly. It was true, all of them looked very formal, but more importantly very nice.

"And why aren't you dressed up, Kraden?" Piers asked with a smile, and the sage chuckled.

"I couldn't dance when I was younger, let alone now, so I decided to stay in my regular attire and abstain from trotting about," Kraden replied. "I'm sure there are some other elderly scholars I can discuss matters of interest with."

"…Dancing?" Felix hissed, causing everyone else to chuckle.

"Of course; it's a festival!" Piers replied, slapping Felix on the back. "So, find a nice young lady and dance the night away!" Felix grumbled under his breath while Piers shot a quick wink at Sheba, who nodded quickly.

"…Felix? Would you mind dancing with me in a bit?" Sheba asked hesitantly.

"…Oh. Uh, yeah, I mean, I can't dance well, but we can… move together," Felix replied with a good deal of awkwardness.

"I'd like that," Sheba replied with a smile. Felix smiled too, but it was a little wary.

"Jenna, would you care to dance with me?" Piers asked, earning surprised glances from all in the party.

"Oh…" Jenna whispered, more to herself than anyone else around her, mulling the proposition over in her mind. "Well, I guess I'm not going to have anyone else to dance with, obviously, and it's really kind of you… but wouldn't you like to dance with some of the native girls?"

Before Piers could respond, he felt a hand on his hair, and a deep growl he knew belonged to Felix. "Let's talk." Felix more or less dragged the poor Mercury Adept several feet away from the rest of the part, then threw him onto the wall of a building. "…Why do you want to dance with Jenna?" Felix asked gruffly, playing the overprotective big brother to a fault. Piers couldn't help but chuckle.

"Because she has no one else to dance with, and dancing with her could get her mind off of that very fact," Piers replied honestly and calmly.

"…But she also likes guys. And you're one of those. And… I don't know how I feel about the two of you. Together," Felix replied anxiously, but was comforted by Pier's hand on his shoulder.

"Let's be honest, Felix; she obviously prefers women," Piers replied slowly, understanding the difficulties the Venus Adept was running into. "She's still hooked up on Sheba, and makes eyes at many more girls than guys. Even if she does like both equally, I'd wager that as of now she wants to try out girls, and is disappointed there are none to try out. So, I want to dance with her AS FRIENDS, to take her mind off of that. Nothing romantic. "

"…You promise?" Felix asked hopefully, and Piers sighed.

"You didn't have nearly as many reserves about her dating another girl; why are you so caught up on men?" The blue-haired sailor questioned, drawing a shrug from his friend.

"…I don't trust men as much as I trust women," He replied stoically, and Piers shrugged as well. "So you're really not going to try anything?

Piers rolled his eyes and replied, "Felix, when have I lied to you? Besides, I have no interest in women, to completely douse any of your worries that I'll try anything."

"Oh," Felix replied with a sigh of relief, before pausing. "Wait… you don't mean…"

"Yes; I am attracted toward males," Piers relayed with a nervous smile.

"…Why on earth have you not told us before?" Felix questioned, his face showing surprise but no other emotion.

"I didn't want to bring it up unless it was necessary at first, because I didn't know how you all would react to it," Piers began. "And, to be honest, I've kept it secret up until now because I wasn't sure how you'd feel about it specifically. I didn't want to make you feel awkward, and felt that you were dealing enough with knowing about Jenna."

"…I'm fine with it, it's no big deal," Felix replied. "Just… it seems odd, that you never mentioned it."

"Well… er… Felix, there's no easy way to say this, but you and I are mighty close," Piers replied with a cough. "And I value our friendship and didn't want you to feel threatened or uncomfortable."

"Ahhh. Yeah. Um… that might have happened. But it's alright, I get that you just see me as a frien—oh sweet Venus," Felix stuttered as he witnessed Piers's reassuring smile turn awkward.

"Don't worry about it; I get that you're straight," Piers replied quickly, patting Felix on the shoulder once more. "At any rate, the girls are giving us questioning looks, so let's not keep them waiting and get to dancing!" Before Felix could interrupt, Piers pushed him back toward the girls and Kraden.

"…What was that about?" Sheba questioned, noting both of their awkward countenances.

"Ah… nothing. Let's dance!" Piers shouted, abruptly changing the subject. The girls shrugged once more, and then each approached their respective partner.

* * *

><p>"Just as friends, okay?" Piers supplied as he took her hand and her side, noting Jenna looked a bit worried about his intent.<p>

"Oh! Sure, good," Jenna replied hastily, then grimaced. And here she had thought she was only starting to get awkward around girls.

Piers was very serene about the entire thing though, ignoring her initial awkwardness, and guiding her around slowly. He was clearly an experience dancer, weaving her through the crowd, lightly stepping and smiling all the way. After a few minutes, she settled in, and found it to be quite an enjoyable experience. They conversed as they danced, their discussions ranging from the battle against the Serpent, to their next destination, to how ridiculous Felix looked in his getup.

"You dance very well; have you been taught formally?" Piers asked after sometime, and Jenna blushed.

"Oh, no…" She replied, accidentally tripping a little as if to prove her point. "I mean, Isaac and I used to dance all the time for our town's festivals, but it was always casual."

"I'm excited to meet this Isaac, providing we ever convince him of the necessity of our cause," Piers replied, and Jenna frowned.

"Good luck convincing Felix that can happen… he might be right too, Isaac may be stubborn enough to sacrifice his own father to stop the release of Alchemy. I've had my own doubts on that matter," Jenna replied thoughtfully, her mind suddenly pulled away from the bright lights and music and into her past.

"Oh, there might be another reason for him to change his mind, but never mind that," Piers replied, realizing he had said too much, both in terms of their quest and Jenna's past.

"That's okay Piers," Jenna said hazily. "I think I'm going to sit down… my mind is kind of fading right now."

"…I apologize," Piers said with a slight bow, and she smiled.

"Don't worry, it's not your fault. You can't run from the past, the present, or the future. I had a very nice time dancing with you; if all Lemurian's possess your skill, I expect to see many ball-rooms when we reach your home," She said with a light bow and a giggle. His face lightened slightly as he relayed the bow, and then watched as she turned away, and quietly parted the dance floor until she escaped the crowd and sat against a smoothed rock wall.

* * *

><p>"…How are your feet?" Felix asked worriedly as his own found Sheba's again and again. He was trying to keep up with the fast pace of the dancing in the crowd, and was failing.<p>

"Fine," Sheba said with a slight wince as she felt Felix's toes land on her shoes once more. "No, really!" She shouted as he gave a guilty look. "Jenna told me to stuff my shoes with padding in case this happened, so it's not too bad."

"…Ugh," Felix grunted, unsure if he appreciated or despised the fact that Jenna had done so. "I'm sorry, but everyone is going so fast, and…"

"Then let's go slower," Sheba whispered, pulling herself into Felix's body, and wrapping her arms around his back. Her head rested on his chest as their waltz came to a slow and delicate pitter-pattering of their feet back and forth.

"Okay," Felix panted, now a good foot closer to Sheba than he had been prior. In fact, there was little if any space between them, and he didn't know how he felt about that. It was an awkward sensation, but he couldn't help but realize it also felt… right.

"I'm sorry," He blurted out suddenly, as his arms naturally went across her back as well. "For not protecting you from the Serpent. I was… too distracted the entire battle."

"…Felix, you don't need to apologize. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you; you were the one who saved me in the Suhalla Desert, and then you leapt off the Lighthouse," Sheba whispered, holding him tightly. "What distracted you?"

"…You," He murmured as they swayed back and forth. "You were phenomenal, but I was also worried… that thing was the most dangerous monster we've come across."

"But we killed it," Sheba replied matter of factly.

"You killed it," Felix corrected with a grin, and Sheba raised her head off his chest just enough to send him a steely glare.

"Susa killed it," She corrected, and Felix chuckled.

"No; we all killed it," Came a voice from behind them, and they turned to see Susa hand in hand with Kushinada.

"Susa!" Sheba shouted with glee, and Felix smiled lightly.

"Hello! Enjoying the festival?" Susa asked with a smile, and they nodded.

"You two look wonderful!" Kushinada commented with a small curtsy. "Uzume picked out such lovely attire. And you are such a cute couple as well… I had guessed as much, from the way you took such care of her and forced her to sit and rest during our discussion earlier today, Felix," Kushinada said, much to Felix's horror, and Sheba's somewhat delight.

Before the flustered Venus Adept could speak, Susa butted in and replied, "I could tell when they fought; great chemistry, each looking to protect the other more than themselves. It was beautiful to watch."

"…We're, uh, just friends," Felix coughed, moving his hand off of Sheba's shoulder to emphasize the point, drawing a saddened look from the Jupiter Adept.

"Oh… my apologies, you two simply seemed—" Kushinada began, clearly embarrassed at having assumed the two were together, but was quickly interrupted by Susa.

"You're joking! You two should be, you look perfect for each other, and you were so calm when you were dancing. The festival is a great time for romance to bloom!" The youth shouted, squeezing Kushinada's hand and glancing lovingly at her to make his point. "Besides, you never know what will get in the way of love; you shouldn't take the people in your life for granted."

"Isn't he a sweet-talker?" Kushinada giggled, breaking the train of conversation and lightly punching Susa on the shoulder.

"H-Hey! I killed the Serpent for you!" He shouted in return, drawing more giggles from Kushinada.

"I thought you claimed that both you and Felix's party had equal shares in its defeat?" Kushinada teased, causing more stuttering from her love.

"I-I… fine. She loves to tease me, if you hadn't noticed," The young warrior said with a grin. "But I love her more than anything in the world. I know you're probably getting tired of hearing it, but thank you again for all your help. It's still sinking in, how much your actions have meant to me." He spared another loving glance at Kushinada. "Well, we'll let you two dance… Kushinada, would you like to go somewhere a little quieter?" Kushinada nodded, and after waving goodbye the couple made their way through the crowd.

"Welp, they're definitely madly in love," Sheba dully noted, looking somewhat longingly after them.

"I'm glad we had a hand in that," Felix replied, subconsciously grabbing Sheba's hand.

"I am too… but what about us?" Sheba asked lightly, turning to face him.

"…What about us?" Felix repeated, turning to her but leaving his eyes elsewhere. Sheba rolled her eyes, and stomped her foot on the ground.

"Gods damned it Felix! How much more clear do I have to make it!" She shouted, and before he could respond, she jumped up and kissed him passionately. He grabbed her and held her out of instinct, unable to keep himself from returning the kiss. As it ended and he gingerly placed her back down on ground, she gently brushed her lips with her fingers. "You can't lie and say that doesn't hold feelings for you! I know it does! I've tried everything I can think of to get you to at least address my feelings for you! So please, just say yes already!"

"…Sheba, we're in the middle of a public festival," He responded timidly, his mind racing. She was leaving him very little time to form a reply. "I just… I don't…"

"You just what?" She asked softly, pushing her face closer to his. Her eyes widened and for a brief moment they reflected in the moonlight; they looked absolutely beautiful, the pale white shining upon her green eyes . "Is it that you think I'm too young? Because I just kicked that Serpent's ass, while nearly all grown men on Weyard would have been eaten alive. I understand I'm not the most mature girl in the world, but I am always serious when need be. So… what do you say?"

"I'm gay," Came Felix's response, striking more powerfully than even the Serpent's Mighty Press. It's not what he wanted to say; he wanted to say, "I love you." But he knew he couldn't. She was too young, he wasn't ready for it, they needed to focus on the quest… numerous reasons for the lie he had told resounded in his head, but none seemed to change the fact that Sheba's eyes that had been so alive just a few moments prior looked so broke.

"…Sheba, I—" Felix began, before being silenced by Sheba's quivering voice.

"I am so sorry, Felix," She whispered, her head toward the ground. "I… I should have realized, I should have seen it. I thought you were just being stubborn, I didn't realize… Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." After a brief moment of confusion, Felix realized that Sheba had actually bought his lie. She really believed that…

"…S-Sheba, wait," Felix began, but she shook her head.

"No, it's fine… I'll be back at the inn. I'm not really in the mood to dance." With those words, she let go of his hand, and turned away from him. As she walked slowly, bouncing here and there as different couples accidently bumped her, Felix simply stood still and watched. He couldn't imagine how just moments ago he had felt so good, albeit nervous, and now felt so morose.

With a sigh, he made his way through the crowd as well, until he found a familiar wave of blue hair. Felix tapped Piers on the shoulder, and in a voice wrought of stone whispered, "We need to talk."

* * *

><p>"Hello, Jenna," Came a voice from above Jenna, and she glanced to see Uzume standing above her. "Do you mind if I join you?"<p>

"Oh, no Lady Uzume," Jenna replied. "Go ahead; I may not be the best for conversation right now, though. I'm a little… off." She let out a light chuckle at that thought; it was more than true.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about something specific," Uzume whispered, sliding down the wall to match Jenna.

"Oh?" Jenna asked, interested.

"I asked Felix about this, and he told me that you have interest in other women," Uzume replied, drawing a gasp and wide eyes from Jenna. "I am similar, except I only am interested in my sex. I figured you may have… questions and the like. I know it's hard, as there aren't many of us out there, and sadly we are often persecuted for the way our hearts work."

"…Wow. How did you know?" Jenna asked, pulling up her legs and hugging them.

"You kept looking longingly at my assistant and your friend Sheba… I just guessed," Uzume replied, and Jenna nodded.

"When did you realize yourself?" Jenna asked, her mind burning with questions.

"When I was fifteen. I didn't accept it until I was nineteen and Susa was thirteen. He was the first person I told… and ardently told me that he didn't give a damn," Uzume said with a fond smile. "It was hard at first, and still is since there are no other women in Izume who feel that way. But I have the support of most of the town, and my family, which is what matters most."

"I like boys though," Jenna said, loosening up slightly. "Especially my friend Isaac. Is that normal? To like both?"

"I suppose," Uzume replied with a shrug. "Normal has nothing to do with it; you and your friends are not normal in regards to being Adepts, but that serves to make you phenomenal. Whoever you like, you like. Do what your heart wishes. Do you think you like one more than the other?"

"…Maybe girls," Jenna whispered, shivering as she did so. She had held out hope that she preferred males, understanding it would make her life much easier. But out of all the men she had met in her life, the only one she had ever held deep romantic feelings toward was Isaac, while she had always looked at girls differently.

"I had a feeling that might be the case," Uzume replied, and Jenna sighed.

"…Um… are you… interested in me?" Jenna whispered, her voice very quiet.

"Felix wondered that as well," Uzume replied, picking a purple flower from the ground and spinning it in her hand. "I doubt we could form much a relationship in the few hours before you depart, and either of us staying with the other would not work; I cannot leave, and you certainly cannot stay. That being said, one day and a long conversation is not enough to gauge your interest in someone as well. Perhaps, if we had more time, but as of now I see no point."

"You are correct," Jenna sighed. "That's more or less what I figured to you'd say."

"We could, however, meet later in our lives," Uzume said happily. "Life is long, and we are both young. If you came back, I would not hesitate to try something more."

"…I'll consider it. At any rate, I hope you find someone at some point in your life," Jenna replied kindly.

"I think I will… I have predictions, as I have said, and I feel like at some point I will meet someone for me," Uzume replied. "At any rate, you should not fear the future; you are a strong young woman who has the support of her friends and family. Stay optimistic and continue to look, and you will find a girl for you. Perhaps even this Isaac you speak of may turn out to be your love. Do not be discouraged."

"I'll try not to be. Thank you, Uzume. Your words mean a lot to me," Jenna said. It was even more than her words; the knowledge that she was not alone pulsed warmth through her entire body.

"Of course, I merely wanted to be of help to you in your hardships," Uzume responded. "It is the least I can do in return for the relief you have given me and my people. Also… I was wondering if, before the night expires, you would care to dance?"

Jenna smiled and nodded, taking Uzume's hand and rising from the ground. Hand in hand, they walked into the crowd once more, gathering the attention of most of the townsfolk, but in particularly Susa, Kushinada, Felix, and Piers. The two lovers smiled as they realized that, for the first time in one of their festivals, Uzume would have a true partner to dance with. Felix and Piers, who had been in the middle of a serious discussion, likewise smiled and cheered, seeing what the event meant to Jenna by the look of happiness shining on her face.

While the celebration had been winding down, the arrival of the Matriarch and the Mars Adept led to it pluming into song and dance one more, Uzume and Jenna in the center of the crowd. The two women alternated leading, both smiling as they weaved back and forth, spinning and hopping this way and that. Though they would never see the other as any more than a friend, it was a special moment that neither would ever forget; dancing in the crisp air as the bright lights lit up the darkness above them while they celebrated the eternal beauty of love.

* * *

><p><em>Does it get more cheesy than the ending line? I like it, because I'm a sucker for cheese, but there it is.<em>

_So, the reason it's late is it's 8,000+ words. I hate excuses, but that's an alright one. Uh… I think this was a fairly cohesive chapter, all things considered; it had a hell of a lot to it. Getting it all to fit was a bit of a challenge, but I think the flow was pretty nice._

_I wanted to try out some characterization with Uzume, Kushinada, and Susa, which was part of the reason that this arc took place in Izumo. I always thought they were some of the more interesting NPCs in the game, and I was an absolute sucker for the Kushinada/Susa love story, so that was partly motivation. I also thought it worked as a nice parallel, having Sheba and Felix having to fight for each other while also fighting for Susa/Kushinada._

_I didn't get to flesh the three Izumans out as much as I would have liked, but they aren't a huge focus of the fic as a whole. I'll make one with them that does focus on them eventually, though._

_So, lots of character development here; I don't want to harp on Sheba/Jenna, but it would be pretty dumb if she randomly stopped having feelings for her out of the blue. And yeah, that scene where it TOTALLY looked like Jenna was asking to do intimate things with Sheba wasn't intentional at first, but I got halfway through it, read it back to myself, cracked up and went with it. Ah, innuendo._

_Jenna and Mia's stories interest me; there are some obvious parallels, and it's fun to compare the two, and how their different experiences have led them to how they feel about themselves. Jenna finally gets some advice here, and will also get some more in Lemuria. How is her character holding up? I hope well, I enjoy writing her._

_Sheba is likewise one of my favorites to write, and I feel bad having to make her try so hard to get Felix to admit his feelings only for him to always turn away. Silly Felix. You can bet there will be some awkward feelings next chapter._

_Speaking of Felix, his feelings get explained much more very shortly. There are a few more compelling reasons behind his hesitancy than presented here that Piers will dig out._

_Piers being gay was meant to be a bit of a big reveal, but I tried to leave slight clues as the fic has gone along, particularly with his light attraction toward Felix. That should be interesting to play with._

_The next chapter will continue this plot-line I think; it won't be too long, but is necessary. Probably a night time on the ship chapter. Finally: KRADEN SIGHTING. YES, HE DOES EXIST IN THIS FIC! WHOOO! I admittedly kind of forgot about his for the first three chapters, but he has dialogue here! Why am I so excited about Kraden! I don't know!_

_In any case, thank you for reading!_


	9. Thicker than Sand

_This didn't want to get written. I'm tremendously unsure of this chapter, but it is what it is. Nothing else really to say, here we go!_

* * *

><p>Chapter 9: Thicker Than Sand<p>

"…I swear, I've been holding my boot up for at least ten minutes, and sand is still coming out," Piers commented dryly. The rest of the party glanced at him to see that, indeed, the mariner's boot was spewing out sand continuously. While at least it hadn't been as mind-numbingly cold as Tundria Tower, the Ankohl Ruins had been just as aggravating, particularly because the four heroes now had sand in between every crevice their bodies and clothes held.

"Be thankful you don't have a bra…" Jenna hissed, readjusting hers for the fifth time. It did little to alleviate the discomfort. Sheba was attempting to do the same, as Felix looked away from both of them, no doubt trying to ignore that they were touching their undergarments in front of him.

"Felix, how come you aren't wriggling and trying to get all the sand out of your clothes?" Jenna asked, after seemingly giving up on her bra, causing her brother to shrug.

"I just got rid of it with my Psynergy," He replied with a shrug, and Jenna growled.

"And you didn't think that, possibly, WE would like that help too?" She spat, and Felix looked at her and winced.

"…You're right, Jenna. I was just distracted, I apologize," Felix replied with a frown, and Jenna raised an eyebrow. No sarcastic response? No groan at her rude questioning? She continued to think as Felix moved over to her and quickly whisked out all of the sand hidden in her clothing. The Mars Adept had tried to pretend that everything was peachy, but in the last week everyone on the ship besides Kraden had been acting weird.

After her discussion with Uzume, she had been much more hopeful and optimistic, but it seemed like everyone else had become morose in turn. Sheba and Felix just seemed sad, especially whenever near each other, while Piers appeared to be much more concerned than usual. And every time she tried to bring the change up with any of them, they claimed they were fine and that they didn't notice what she was talking about.

As if to highlight Jenna's point, Felix moved to get rid of Sheba's sand, and swallowed awkwardly before doing so very quickly and then turning away without a word. Sheba flashed him a sad look before shrugging and beginning to walk toward the docked ship.

Jenna shook her head at the sight; it was clear something was wrong, she just didn't know what. Sure, she could guess that it, obviously, had something to do with Sheba's feeling for Felix. That was a given, it was just that there seemed to be much more to the situation, and she couldn't figure out what. It was beginning to drive her insane.

After the battle with the Serpent, Jenna had felt that their party had reached a new level of coordination, and that any monsters they came across would bow before them in mercy. Instead, the entire group's mechanics had simply fallen apart, and even the smallest enemies were giving them problems. After numerous close calls in the ruins, Felix had, awkwardly of course, instructed Sheba to simply put any monster they came across to sleep so that they could run away from them.

Jenna glanced back and forth between Felix and Sheba, trying to decide which one she would have better luck with cracking for information. This awkward tension wasn't going to linger under her watch, no siree.

Felix was usually really easy to manipulate, but somehow she felt as if this wasn't going to be one of those cases… every once in a while, he would simply refuse to listen to her, and she had a sinking feeling that this was one of those scenarios.

Sheba, however, might be a bit more receptive. While Felix seemed to be decidedly against talking about the mood that had fallen upon the party, Sheba looked as if she desperately wanted to. Of course, Jenna had already cornered both to no success. At least Piers had been more honest; while he had acknowledged Jenna's belief in a rift, he had claimed that it wasn't something that, at this point, he could do anything to change.

So, he was out of the equation. Therefore, she would go with Sheba. Finding the younger girl and talking to her alone would be easy enough.

After ten minutes of walking, the party reached the ship. After giving a quick greeting and recount of the ruins to Kraden, the girls and boys went their separate ways, with Sheba walking towards her room and Jenna following, while Felix and Piers made their way toward the galley.

* * *

><p>Felix sighed as he walked into the galley, Piers trailing him. "I don't want to talk about it," The Venus Adept said firmly, sitting down at the table and crossing his arms.<p>

"And that's obviously a great reason to not talk about it," Piers replied with a smile, drawing one of Felix's signature glares.

"There's nothing to even talk about," The Venus Adept grumbled. "I've made my decision, and I'm sticking by it."

"Felix…" Piers walked over and place a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You can't keep this fiasco up much longer. Jenna is pretty suspicious, and we both know you can't keep this lie hidden from her for long. And Sheba's crushed. I'm surprised you were even able to convince her of this in the first place…"

"Listen, Piers, all you need to do is go along with it, alright?" Felix grunted, shaking his hand off. "We'll make it work."

"No, as I just said, we won't; and if I were you, I'd stop this charade before it blows up in your face. Jenna will be very angry at you, you realize?" Piers replied, earning another grunt from Felix.

"Do you think I like pretending that we're dating to convince Sheba that I'm gay and that I can't be with her?" Felix asked bluntly, leaning even more into the table. "It's ridiculous; having to act like we're friends around my sister and then pretend to flirt around Sheba. But it's necessary, I just can't be with her."

"Then tell her that, rather than lying to her!" Piers shouted, slightly fed up with the situation. "This isn't exactly wonderful for me; if you recall, I do have a light crush on you."

Felix grimaced, as that was the one part of the situation he dislike the most. "…I told you, if you want to quit, go ahead…"

"No, I won't," Piers replied, crossing his arms. "Because you will not admit you're wrong until it smacks you in the face. So, smack you in the face it shall. It will probably be Jenna's hand, as you must be aware, so you can be prepared for quite the slap."

"What would you have me do?" Felix asked, exasperated.

"Talk to Sheba; talk to her honestly," Piers replied, speaking earnestly. "I know you've told me legitimate concerns about your relationship with her, but I feel like there are things you've kept secret… and if they're only meant for her ears, then fine. But she needs to know the truth. She's a very intelligent girl Felix, and even if the truth hurts, she's earned that."

"…I'll consider it," Felix responded after a tense moment, and Piers nodded.

"Good… hopefully by this time tomorrow we can stop giggling whenever Sheba walks by us," Piers said with a shudder, walking away from his friend and towards the deck. "I'll be steering… talk to you later Felix."

"Mmmhmmm…" The Venus Adept murmured, his mind elsewhere. If life had been different… if his life was different now, he would not hesitate to be with Sheba. Her age meant little to him, but… "Gah!" He shouted, slamming his fist on the table. No matter which way he looked, there was no immediate answer present, and the decisions he had made were only leading to strife within the party. He sighed, racking his brain for some sort of answer, while at the same time forming whatever he would say to Sheba as well.

* * *

><p>"…Jenna, why are you following me?" Sheba asked as she reached the door to her room. A nervous cough from behind her assured her of the Mars Adept's presence.<p>

"…I wanted to talk to you. About how the entire party is—"

"I told you, I have nothing to say about it," Sheba interrupted bitterly. She had felt like such a fool, pressuring Felix into a relationship when he was trying to send signals to her that he actually had feelings for Piers… she should have seen it before, they were obviously very close. As were her and Felix, but she had assumed that their intimacy was of a romantic nature. Instead, he viewed her as a sister; which was better than nothing, but did little to ebb the guilt.

Or the longing. Sheba couldn't lie to herself and say that she DIDN'T have feelings for Felix. They were incredibly, strong, built from his willingness to protect her, and the fact that he seemed to truly care for her in a way no one else she ever knew had. Even her foster-parents. When he talked to her, it wasn't like she was the Child Who Fell From the Sky, or the key to unlocking Jupiter Lighthouse, but simply Sheba. And she had ruined it.

"...You seem to have picked up my terrible habit of zoning out for long periods of time," Jenna said with a smile, breaking Sheba from her thoughts. Despite her inner-turmoil, she smiled as well, and the Mars Adept continued, "It seems to only happen when you're caught up thinking about someone you care about."

"…Jenna, Felix asked me not to discuss it with you," Sheba whispered softly, and winced when Jenna's face fell.

"Sheba, are you happy?" The older girl asked, eliciting a shrug from the wind Adept. "Because Felix isn't, Piers doesn't really look like he is either, and I'm getting mopey watching all of you act mopey. I just want to help; what's wrong?"

"...Fine," Sheba replied with a sigh. "As you might have guessed, me asking Felix out didn't exactly go well… it turns out he's gay." There was a pause as Sheba let this fact sink in. Jenna would no doubt be confused, and surprised that she had never considered—"

"Oh, bullshit," Jenna said, dismissing Sheba's statement with a wave of her hand. "He's about as gay as you are. He's attracted to women, he's just absolutely awful around them, as I've said. So, that's the reason you two aren't together? That… I can't believe he would be that thick. Thicker than all the damned sand in those freaking ruins. Who does he think he is? I swear…"

"Jenna!" Sheba exclaimed, cutting her friend off. "He's serious! He and Piers are dating and—" She stopped as the Mars Adept erupted in laughter, to such a degree that she had to grasp the wall for support.

"F-Felix and P-Piers? Oh, gosh… that's ripe," Jenna replied, wiping tears from her eyes. "Yeah, maybe Piers being attracted toward Felix, but Felix returning the feelings? Oh, hell no. I just don't understand though. WHY would he lie about this? There has to be some really bizarre reason, one that only Felix could come up with, that's behind his actions." Jenna paused and ran through different things in her mind, while Sheba sputtered ineffectively.

"J-Jenna, I swear it's the truth! He looked so sad when he told me, and I felt so bad for pushing him this whole time… please, just don't bring it up around him, alright?" Sheba asked, and Jenna sighed.

"Sheba, I know my brother. He's not gay. There's something else here, that I'm sure of," Jenna replied, putting her hand on the Jupiter Adept's shoulder. "Now, I AM going to talk to him about this, because… I mean… it's hard, to see you walking around the ship like this. You're usually so cheerful, but this entire week you've been so down…"

"But the same thing happened to you, didn't it?" Sheba questioned pointedly. "What if he really just doesn't feel anything for me, like… I didn't for you." She grew quiet and swallowed, and Jenna's face softened.

"…You don't feel guilty about that, do you Sheba?" Jenna asked quietly, squeezing her friend's shoulder.

"I do," Sheba replied, staring at the floor. "I read your mind back in Izumo… I hadn't expected you to just, well, get over your feelings, but I didn't want them to linger, and they did. And this whole time, you've STILL been constantly trying to help me with Felix, even though you still felt like that, and even now you're going to extraordinary lengths to do that."

"Because that's what friends do, and I promised you that we would be friends no matter what," Jenna replied steadfastly, causing Sheba to look her in the eyes.

"B-But…" The blonde girl stuttered, and Jenna shook her head.

"But nothing; you deserve to be happy, and if I can help I will," Jenna said, and Sheba sighed.

"Well… I promise I will help you if you ever need it, Jenna… you're such a good friend," Sheba whispered, and drew her friend in for a hug.

"Now," Jenna said as she parted from the embrace. "I'm going to go talk to Felix."

"…Please Jenna, don't be cruel and automatically assume he's lying," Sheba pleaded, and Jenna rolled her eyes.

"Fine; I'll let him explain it to me, and won't come to any conclusions until he's finished. I'll see you in a bit," The Mars Adept replied, turning to find her brother.

Sheba stared after her as she went, and suddenly an idea popped into her head; if Jenna was talking with Felix, Piers would be available… maybe she should talk to the Lemurian, and find out how he and Felix were doing. Deciding for it, she began to walk toward the deck, figuring Piers would either be there or in his room.

* * *

><p>"Hello, Felix," Jenna said plainly, viewing his figure at the table as she walked into the galley.<p>

Felix gulped; she knew. He could just tell. Jenna had always been able to read him like a book, but he could do the same to her. What other reason would she be coming to find him, anyway? He started to think of what he would say in his mind as she walked over slowly. She sat gingerly next to him, and he shuddered. Rage and fire were about to rule.

"Gosh, you look more scared than when you broke Mom's favorite pot… call down, silly," She said lightly, punching him in the shoulder.

"…Wait, you're not angry?" He asked, obviously surprised. "…Do you know?"

"Yes to both questions," Jenna said in a sing song voice, ruffling his hair. "To be honest, I'm a little miffed, but Sheba seemed very concerned that I was going to set you on fire, so I'm trying to be cordial. You always have reasons for the stupid things you do. They're usually stupid reasons, but at least you mean well."

"…I'm not sure whether I should be pleased you're being open-minded or mad that you just bad-mouthed me," Felix replied with a slight glare, which she returned.

"At least I'm trying!" She shouted, and he shrugged. It was a fair point. "So… why aren't you together with Sheba? And please, don't even TRY to tell me you are gay, or have feelings for Piers. Unlike Sheba, I don't listen to everything you say."

"…It's complicated," Felix replied with a shrug. "I have a lot of reasons, and despite what you're thinking, most of them are reasonable. Just to clear things up; yeah, I don't have feelings for Piers… nor am I gay. I said I was because Sheba had cornered me, and I didn't want to tell her any of the real reasons I didn't want to be with her."

Felix paused, and coughed. "But… you should know there is SOME truth to the story. Piers is gay." He waited for that fact to settle in, but Jenna appeared unsettled.

"I figured he was…" She said, and Felix raised an eyebrow. "I mean, I asked him if he had been with any girls before I found out I liked both sexes, and he just grinned nervously and said he'd had a few relationships here and there. And he, uh, kind of made eyes at you once or twice… I figured the reason he was quiet about it was because he really wasn't sure how you would respond."

"…Was I really that unobservant?" Felix asked, exasperated, and she giggled.

"Well, Sheba never noticed my feelings for her till I kissed her; a lot of people are clueless when it comes to things like that," Jenna replied. "So… why exactly are you so unwilling to even talk to Sheba? What issues are you having?"

Whereas Felix had still been fearful she would be angry at him, she sounded generally concerned. Her eyes definitely conveyed that; her chocolate irises always seemed to swell when she was worried, and they were as such now.

"…Like I said, it's complicated," Felix began, readjusting his body as he did so; his discomfort was beyond clear. "To begin with… it's not that she's younger, it's that I'm not sure that she's ready for it. I mean, I'll be clear, I do have feelings for Sheba. She's just…" His smile became dreamy, and his eyes distant; his expression brought a smile to Jenna's face. It was rare, ever since her reunion with Felix, for him to show unrestrained joy. Seeing him do so brought warmth to her heart.

"She's just so bright, and perky, and… I mean, I obviously really like her, and… Stop giving me that look," Felix said, noticing Jenna beaming at him.

"I can't help it; those are all the same things I like about her," Jenna replied merrily. "So, continue."

"Well, I'm not sure if I'm ready to be in a relationship with someone, and I'm not sure if she is either; as much as I love Sheba, she has lived a very sheltered life," Felix replied. "And look at our situation; I have a lot on my mind, and a lot of responsibilities. I can't put one person above any other, and that's pretty much what a relationship is. And while she might, I'm not sure if I have the time required for a successful relationship."

"…I'm very annoyed," Jenna said quietly after a long silence, and Felix winced. "You misunderstand," Jenna whispered, smiling slightly. "Your reasons actually make a good deal of sense, whereas I hoped they were nonsensical and I could snap you out of them." Felix breathed in deeply, and she smiled. Still, it held some concern. "Is that all, Felix? I mean… that makes sense, but I feel like there's something more."

Felix became very stressed at her words, rubbing his side gingerly. "I… I know this sounds bad, Jenna, but I really don't want to discuss it," He murmured, and she frowned but nodded.

"I understand," She whispered, hugging him slightly. "But…" Felix sighed. There had to be a but. "But, you need to tell her this. She deserves to have a real reason. Not that you're gay. I know that lying seems like a good idea at the time, but… imagine how torn I would have been if Sheba had lied to me and agreed to be with me, and then had to tell me later that she actually had feelings for you? It would have been terrible. She deserves better than that."

Felix coughed, knowing she was right, but still hesitant to agree; because if he did discuss this with Sheba, he had a feeling that he WOULDN'T be able to get away with only telling her a few of his reasons. "Besides," Jenna said, breaking him from his thoughts. "This can't be easy on Piers either, Felix. I think he's putting up with it because he understands you're conflicted, but he really likes you… and having to feign that you two actually are together can only be all kinds of awkward for him."

Felix's heart sank as what she said rang true in his ears. Piers… Piers deserved better than being used as a prop so he didn't have to face his fears. "You're right, about both…" Felix whispered, nodding slowly. "I'll, I'll talk to Piers. But… could I have a little time before I speak to Sheba?" Jenna smiled, and nodded. "Good… I need to sort my thoughts out. Can you tell her that Piers and I are breaking up, but it has NOTHING to do with her, and that I will talk to her about this whole mess soon?"

"…Do I look like the postman?" Jenna asked incredulously, drawing a completely bewildered look from Felix. The Mars Adept then burst into giggles, and said, "I'm joking! I'll go talk to her now… you should probably find Piers as well." The Venus Adept nodded, and got to his feet.

"…Jenna?" He said, and she turned her head in curiosity. "…Thank you for being so nosy. I don't know what I would do without you."

"It's what I do," She replied with a warm smile, which he returned.

* * *

><p>Sheba had spent a good deal of time simply staring at the Lemurian after she had reached the deck. She had the feeling that he recognized her presence, but for whatever reason remained silent. It was murky out; the sky was gray, and rain spilled every now and again. Eventually she gained the courage to clear her throat, and call out, "Piers?"<p>

"Hello, Sheba," He replied, not turning away from the wheel. "How are you?"

"…I think you know the answer to that," She said quietly, but he heard her regardless.

"Perhaps. Is there anything I can do to help?" The mariner asked, and after sighing, she began to walk toward him.

"…Just tell me the truth. Is Felix acting so depressed because he feels bad about how things turned out between us?" Sheba asked, and Piers grimaced. He knew these questions would come eventually, and it bothered him that he couldn't tell the young girl the truth. Or, at least, not all of it.

"That is why he has been down, Sheba… there's more to it, but I'm afraid he's asked me to refrain from talking to you about the subject. I… Sheba? Don't cry…" Piers said soothingly, his grimace widening as her eyes grew damp.

"…I don't want to make him sad," She replied simply, wiping her hand across her face. "Felix has given so much to me… I can't stand the thought of causing him any pain." Her words brought pain to his heart, and he was forced to turn away from her, lest it showed on his face. He cared for Felix a great deal as well, and held feelings for him too, but… her love was so plain and innocent. And she honestly believed that she was hurting him, when…

"Sheba, do you realize how happy you've made Felix?" Piers said slowly, causing her to raise her head. "Disregarding anything else, you're one of the few people he's ever met that he believes truly understands him. That's what he told me, anyway. So, even if you two are in a rough spell, it will pass. Don't beat yourself up about it, alright?"

Sheba laughed a bit, and wiped more of her tears away. "…I'm glad to hear that. He's made me very happy too. Thank you Piers… I think I really needed to hear that."

"No problem," Piers replied modestly. "I try. Now, maybe we should—" The door to the galley creaked open, and out-stepped Felix, whose eyes immediately found the floor when he noticed Sheba.

"Jenna, she's actually out here," The Venus Adept called into the galley, and moments later his sister appeared from it as well.

"Hey! Sheba… could we talk, a bit?" Jenna asked cheerily, and Sheba, after gazing sorrowfully at Felix, nodded.

"…Just one thing," Sheba whispered, and before anyone could react, she sprinted over to and threw her arms around Felix, squeezing him tightly. She held the embrace for a moment, and Felix could swear he felt tiny tears soak into his tunic. And then, a moment later, she was gone, nodding to Jenna and walking toward the galley without another word.

As the door swung closed, Felix looked at Piers and stated bluntly, "We're breaking up," while from within the galley, Jenna whispered, "They're breaking up."

"Well, I can't say I didn't see it coming," Said the Lemurian with a grin.

Felix frowned, and replied, "I-I'm really sorry how I… used you. I was just… you know me…"

"I do, and that's why I went along. When are you going to talk to the young lady?" Piers asked, and Felix shrugged.

"I was thinking Lemuria," Felix replied, and Piers smiled.

"Sounds like a plan," The blue-haired man replied, but Felix still seemed uneasy.

"I really mean it, Piers. You're a great man, for putting up with all that. I don't know why I thought it would be a good idea, but… thank you." The Venus Adept bowed as he finished, and Piers smiled and shook his head.

"I'm sure you'll find someway to thank me," Was all the Lemurian said before turning back to the wheel. As much as he liked Felix, he had to agree with Jenna; he did have some serious odd qualities.

* * *

><p>"…Because of me?" Sheba asked, her heart-wrenching, but Jenna shook her head. "Why then?"<p>

"I'm not sure… he said it was personal reasons. I guess it just wasn't working out. Like I said, they seemed really awkward about it… and one more thing," Jenna said, and then cleared her throat. "Felix would like to talk to you about… the whole rift between you two. I'm not sure when, but keep an eye out."

"Alright," Sheba replied, her thoughts already imagining the encounter. "Do you think he'll be okay?"

Jenna smiled, and ruffled her friend's hair. "For once, I actually think things are on the right track." Sheba beamed, and nodded as they began to walk down the hallway. How right Jenna would be.

* * *

><p><em>I know I said it before, but did not want to get written. Sheesh. Felix makes a lot of really stupid decisions in the games, so I figured I would actually play on that a bit here, and have him doing something for a few good reasons but have everyone assume his reasons are terrible. Poor guy.<em>

_I feel kind of bad that the Jenna plot-line has become so based on Sheba/Felix, but there had to be something involving Jenna until she meets up with Mia, and Lighthouse Shipping is pretty much it._

_I actually hate a lot of the writing in this chapter. The sentence structures, the overuse of adverbs, some of the dialogue, even some of the plot… I wish I had more time to edit and remake. Alas._

_I also had a really, really awkward and stupid issue when trying to write the Jenna and Felix discussion. Ugh. I hate my mind, sometimes._

_Another Kraden sighting! For all of one paragraphs. Ooh, that's another thing I don't like about this chapter. Paragraphs. Yuck._

_Next chapter will be Garet and Mia on a picnic! Yay for the awkward! But no, seriously. I'm looking forward to it. Thanks for reading!_


	10. A Champan Winter

_…After more month long delays, here I am. Hopefully things will start to pick back up and I can get back on my schedule for summer. I apologize for the long waits, I hate it when a fic updates once a month… but, finals. Anywhoo._

_Before I start this chapter off, there's something else that bears mentioning. Now, I'm not going to turn this into a PSA or political statement, so bear with me. But, obviously, through this fic and MTJATE it's pretty obvious that I am a strong supporter of LGBT rights and people. I have a lot of gay and questioning friends, and I care for them just as much as my straight friends. I bring this up as President Obama kind of pushed the issue into the spotlight recently with his support of gay-marriage. Focusing solely on that action, I'm glad to see the biggest name in American politics willingly supporting gay-marriage._

_I guess the point of me saying all this is that love is love, and while I mostly write these fics because I love Golden Sun and love writing humorous and cheesy romance, there are some deeper motivations behind some of my writing. I wish the world accepted people more for who they were when who they are is their choice and doesn't affect anyone else, and as stupid as it sounds I hope that maybe one of these stories I write may change someone's mind in that regard. I'm terrible at putting stuff like this into words, so if this is a giant mess, I apologize. And my Author's Notes aren't going to turn into blogs about this kind of thing or anything like that. I just wanted to take a little time and a few paragraphs to address it. Anyway, back to A Gentler Steam._

* * *

><p>Chapter 10: A Champan Winter<p>

"…Well, the food certainly seems a lot better than it was the first time we were here," Mia commented as she sipped the soup in front of her. "…I lament to think of what paid for it, though." She wrinkled her nose at the thought of piracy, but Garet simply shrugged as he swallowed a piece of beef.

"I thought it was fine the first time… wait, was that the night I puked?" Garet asked, and Mia nodded sourly. "Whoops…" Garet said remorsefully. "You were eating your soup. But, er, yeah… I mean, maybe they just found some buried treasure."

"Or maybe all the rumors we've been hearing about Champa stealing a boat and ravaging Indra have been true," Mia remarked bitterly, pushing her soup away from herself, no longer hungry.

She spared a look at Garet, who was glancing at her worriedly, and she sighed. "I'm sorry, Garet, I just dislike the concept of taking from people who earned their living fair and square," She said quietly. "For a few years Imil had to send food over to Bilibin in return for their…" Her nose wrinkled… "Protection."

Garet's face turned into a frown, and he grumbled, "Yeah, I trust that McCoy guy about as far as I can throw him, and judging by how big he was it wouldn't be far."

Mia sighed, and nodded. "Bilibin was going through a hard time, with a plague striking them, but it's not as if Imil produces a great deal of crops. If they had asked, we could have agreed to something, but instead they took a good portion of our crops and medicine by… well, not force, but what else did they expect us to think would happen when they sent their soldiers inside our town?"

"Bastards," Garet growled, and Mia flinched. "Ooop! Sorry, I know you don't like swearing," Garet apologized, and Mia glanced to the floor.

"Well… it's more… the way you said it," She muttered, frowning before continuing. "You see, this didn't last too long, as… well, my mother got ill around the fifth year, and died. A lot of townsfolk blamed Bilibin… but they were afraid to fight or say anything about it."

"I'm… I'm so sorry Mia…" Garet began, but she shrugged.

"I realized what my mother had later, Garet, and the medicine they took wouldn't have saved her," She replied, and then seemed to shrink into herself. "But Alex… that was the last straw for him. He had already really despised them for taking from us to begin with, but when they came back the next time, he went after them."

Mia halted, and swallowed. "It was bad, Garet. Really bad. I'd never seen him like that, and… well, I had always known he was powerful, but I hadn't known how strong he had gotten. He just ripped through them. There was plenty of blood, but it was lost in the sheer wave of Psynergy he cast; water and ice were flying from all directions. I had never and haven't seen such a powerful display of Psynergy since. He let them live, but he made them suffer, kicking them when they were down, calling them pigs and filth, threatening to come sack Bilibin if they ever showed their faces in our town again…"

"…You know, I don't like Alex, but that doesn't sound too bad. He was standing up to bullies," Garet replied, and Mia shrugged.

"He was, and I know he was doing it for me. He cared for my mother too, and I think her death was sort of a tipping point for him, especially after he saw what it did to me," Mia said, biting her lip as she remember the conversation they had afterward. "And a lot of the townsfolk were really supportive of him. But the Elders were furious, because he had used a BUNCH of Mercury Psynergy he probably wasn't supposed to know about, and… we got into an argument. It…" She trailed off again, and sighed.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, Mia," Garet whispered, placing his hand on her arm. As curious as he was about her past, he knew she kept a lot of it hidden for a reason.

"No… it's just, Alex and I were already on worse terms as we had ever been—" Her mind drifted to the past for a moment: _"If you didn't love me, why didn't you just say it? Do you think there's anything else keeping me in this Gods-forsaken town?" She looked into his cold and demanding eyes, blinking and flicking her own away as they welled with tears—_ "And when he did what he did, I had to side with the Elders. I wish I hadn't. He was so angry, Garet. He said so many terrible things, and I know he didn't mean them, but at the time… I let him have it. I was already on edge, and when he told me… that… that I was making a mockery of my Mom's memory, I screamed at him to never come back. He did once, though, so at least that's something."

"…He earned it, for saying that about you," Garet replied, trying to show compassion, but she simply shrugged. She kept her mouth shut, but she wondered whether or not he was right or not. Both Garet and Alex. Alex had just been trying to care for her… even if he did have a funny way of showing it. "You really miss him, don't you?"

The question caught her off guard, and she blushed as she stared at the ground. She rarely brought up Alex around Garet, because it would either lead to her revealing that she more or less was with him for two years, or the reason why she STOPPED being with him. Both scared her, and she couldn't imagine what Garet would think of her is she knew that she and Alex, someone Garet clearly detested, had been a…

She glanced up to see Garet's face with dawning realization. "…You two… you weren't… oh, Mia, I never thought_…_ crap, and I've been bad-mouthing him all over the place! I'm so sorry!" Garet replied quickly, ducking his head in shame, and her eyes widened.

"You're… sorry?" She whispered, and he peaked out. "I thought you would be angry at me, for being with him…"

"Well…" Garet replied with a shrug. "I don't really know the guy, and things can screw people up. Look at what happened with Felix. Sometimes something happens that just pushes people down the wrong path, and… Mia?" She gulped, forcing back tears as she remembered Alex's eyes the night before he left. So hurt. So bitter. So confused. Gods forbid, she couldn't tell him why. He would have hated her. Even more than he had when she had left him. She…

"Garet?" Mia asked, sniffling lightly. "Would you mind if I took a little walk by myself? I need to clear my head…"

"Oh… yeah," Garet replied, his face downtrodden. "Take your time. Sorry."

"Yeah," Mia murmured, rising out of her seat and walking down the street.

Garet waited until she turned a corner before beginning to loudly berate himself for being such an idiot, much to the confusion of random passerby. "Damn it, good job Garet!" He shouted, slamming his fist into the table. "'Oh yeah, Mia, you're the reason he became a megalomaniac, no big deal!' Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

* * *

><p>"We just can't catch up to him, huh?" Ivan remarked as he and Isaac descended the stairwells of the cliffs of Champa.<p>

"You can say that again," Isaac replied, annoyance present in his voice and the smack of his fist against the wall. "It's like we're just right behind him, and we can't close the distance… and we need to."

"That whole thing with the Trident was very interesting, as was Obaba's forge, though," Ivan replied, always enticed by new information. Isaac shrugged indifferently as they made the wrong turn for the fifth time, ending up on an overhang of the cliffs. While the view was quite nice, Ivan rolled his eyes as he realized it had happened again.

"Hey, Isaac, aren't you able to sense the ground? Why do we keep ending up in the wrong place?" Ivan asked with a surprising small amount of sarcasm, instead replaced with general concern. Isaac sighed and turned to look at his friend.

"I guess I've just got a lot on my mind," The Venus Adept replied with a shrug, and Ivan laid a hand down on Isaac's shoulder.

"I'm good with minds. Talk to me," Ivan replied, and Isaac bit his lip, drawing an even more concerned gaze from the Jupiter Adept. "Listen, Isaac… I know you generally keep your thoughts to yourself. But, I also know that you share a lot of them with Garet, and I worry that you've been keeping them inside because he's been less available."

Isaac raised an eyebrow in surprise; Ivan was rarely this stoic for such a long period of time. With a smile, the younger boy concluded, "But we need you to not turn into an angst machine, and I'm more than willing to lend an ear. Speak."

Isaac nodded, and remained still for another minute or so, before suddenly glancing up out to the ocean and saying, "It's just, it was supposed to be so easy. I mean, it was supposed to be hard, but not THIS hard." He spared a glance at Ivan, who was looking at him questioningly.

"…Alright, that was a really bad explanation," Isaac replied with a sigh, and Ivan nodded in agreement. "What I'm trying to say is that at the beginning of this quest, things we're very clear cut: we needed to stop the Lighthouses from being lit. And, to be honest, continually being one step behind is infuriating, but that's not what keeps me up at night."

Ivan nodded, his interest now piqued, and Isaac let out a sigh. "What does is the reasoning behind everything we're doing. Why did Saturos and Menardi sacrifice themselves for such a bizarre cause? Did they really want to destroy the world, and if so, why? What if they had another motive? And how would the lighting of the Lighthouses even bring about this destruction? And then, everything to do with Felix…

"He acts like a complete ass, and then he jumps off a Lighthouse to his supposed death to save a young girl. And as we travel, more and more I hear his name, and more and more he reminds me of the honest, quiet guy I knew back in Vale. A monster who wants to destroy the world doesn't do things like slaying that Serpent, or helping out the Madrans. I don't get it, and I want answers." The Venus Adept ended his rant breathing deeply; his words had clearly been broiling in his heart and mind for some time.

"…Wow," Ivan commented. "I thought it was just one thing; I didn't know you had that much bouncing around in your head. Well… Isaac, to be honest, I don't have many answers. I've asked myself the same questions, but I've never brought them up to the rest of you."

"Why not?" Isaac asked, confused; he had always wondered why Ivan, who he considered the most intelligent of the party, had never fielded these inquires himself.

"None of you had the answers," Ivan said simply with a shrug. "The only person who does is Felix, and that's why we're chasing him. I wonder why Jenna is still following after him more than anything, along with Sheba and that Lemurian, Piers. Sometime doesn't add up, and I feel like we need to catch him to figure out what it is."

"…Well put, but not what I wanted to hear," Isaac replied, impressed. "Thanks for the input. It's been gnawing at me a little bit."

"…While we're on the topic of issues within the party," Ivan responded, looking quite thoughtful as his purple eyes pierced the blue sky. "Does something seem to be off about Garet and Mia?"

"…I know exactly what you're talking about, and I've been trying to ignore it," Isaac said honestly. "I think it's best to let them work it out. After all, Mia… she needs help, and I think Garet can give it to her."

"Don't tell him I said this," Ivan replied after a few moments. "But it's cute, how nice he is to her, and how head over heels he is."

"It is," Isaac whispered, his eyes drifting toward the sky as well. "I just wonder how head over heels she is, sometimes."

* * *

><p>Mia liked to walk when she wasn't feeling well; to nowhere in particular, as the constant flow of movement took her mind off of any thoughts that might be interested in taking over her mind, and leading her to tears. As was the case now. <em>Alex<em>. Which was why she was walking down a deserted alleyway, rather than enjoying a light lunch with Garet.

"Just keep walking," She whispered, clutching at her sides, feeling as if she was going to be sick. "Why can't I look at him without seeing Alex? I just… it won't be the same, this time. I chose this time. I CHOSE to be with him." But, hadn't she chosen Alex as well? Hadn't she…

"…Hello, Mia," Came a voice from behind her, and she felt her spine shoot straight and the feeling of crippling ice spread from her core to every part of her body. Part of her wanted to laugh, just to convince herself that she was imagining things, but she just had to be foolish enough to turn and make sure rather than run as fast as she could in the other direction.

It was amazing how someone she had known nearly her entire life could seem so different before her now. "Alex," She choked out, fear and uncertainty looming over her. To her surprise, though, his eyes were… soft. Worried. Compassionate.

"We have much to discuss," He said slowly, and she breathed in deeply for a few moments, still completely unsure of if she was viewing the world from a sane perspective. Mia closed her eyes, breathed in deeply, and then opened them. He was still there.

"I'm so sorry!" She blurted out, rushing forward and shoving her face into his chest like she had used to when she was little. It had been rare for Alex to show emotion even then, at least to a large degree, but he had been willing to hug her softly in the past, and maintained that standard now.

"…There's no real need to be," He whispered at first, but then swallowed. "I mean… listen, let me explain." He patted her gently before pushing her away, and sighed. "Mia… I've been waiting in this… hellhole for a while now, since I assumed that you would, at some point, end up here with the rest of your party."

"…Why did you want to see me," Mia said with silent realization, her eyes widening as her elation at seeing Alex safe in front of her was replaced by the memories of what he had become. "You made it clear that I meant nothing to you. You 'couldn't stay the same Alex' I knew forever, right?"

Her words made him wince, but she showed no signs of sympathy on her face. Alex heaved in a long sigh, and then spoke. "I love you Mia." She swallowed, and began to shake. Nothing… that she hadn't heard before, but the way he had said it… "And when you… when… after so long, you just said no, just broke it off, it killed me. I understand that we had always had our differences, but… I thought…"

He breathed out, and shook his head, a sad smile playing across his face. "I was angry, and I wanted you to feel the pain I felt, so I left. It was immensely selfish, and I regret doing so." She viewed him silently, even though relief began to pour through her. He sounded willing to apologize for his actions, and… maybe she could bring herself to do the same. Still, she remained unspeaking, waiting for him to bring up WHY he had decided to destroy the world.

"I didn't understand, and thought you were choosing the Elders and the will of the town over me, and that you were letting them sway your decision to be with me," Alex whispered, longing present on his face. "…But, when I left Imil after lighting Mercury, something struck me. While pouring through several tomes I had elected to… 'borrow' (Mia wrinkled her nose in protest), I came across a strange symbol. A slightly skewered sigil of Mercury…"

Mia's hand involuntarily shot to her arm, and she swore under her breath. Alex's eyes had narrowed as she had done so, and her own fell to the ground. She knew the symbol he described too well.

"It seemed familiar to me, but I couldn't quite put my finger on where I had seen it…" Alex continued, slowly walking toward her. She backed up one step, but then sensed the futility in her motion. "And then, I remembered… on your arm, you claiming it was simply a drawing one of the Elder's had made you practice, one that would bestow healing effects. But, I didn't know it was a scar."

Alex had reached her, and she finally forced herself to look into his eyes. She wished she hadn't; they were so guilty, so disappointed, so hurt. "I didn't know that it was a scar meant to purge the body of homosexuality." He grasped her arm gently, and she sputtered.

"D-Don't s-say it a-aloud, d-don't look," She whispered weakly, as his other hand's fingers grasped her robe's sleeve. "P-Please, don't look."

"And then I realized the truth," Alex said plainly, and pulled the sleeve up, just far enough that the symbol was fully visible.

"I'm so sorry," She said again, shaking her head. "I couldn't tell you… I couldn't tell anyone… I did love you, Alex, you were always so kind to me, I'm so, so, so sorry I pushed you away, I… I'm sorry I'm like that. But, I've tried, that's what this symbol is!" She glanced up into his eyes, praying to find sympathy.

At this point, she was an utter wreck, and was having trouble seeing through her tears. So many years of hiding, of praying, of hoping no one would ever know. And now he did… the person her perversion had hurt most.

"No, I'm sorry," Alex whispered, and her mouth dropped agape. He threw his arms around her, and she simply rested against his chest, stunned. "I never even considered your feelings, never thought how you might feel… and instead of trusting you, I made a rash decision and left you alone, the last thing you needed to be. But… at least you found friends." He smiled. "They seem good for you… I'm glad."

"Y-You're not angry? Y-You don't hate me?" Mia asked incredulously. "Alex… I'm perverse. Homosexuality is a sin. It says it everywhere in the ancient texts. I hate myself for it, I hate myself for hurting you, I hate myself for being the reason you left—"

"Mia, why on Weyard would you ever hate yourself?" Alex asked with concern, wiping tears from her face. "You know how little of a damn I give for those codes… you're beautiful no matter what you feel. I just wish you would have told me."

"It is, Alex!" She shouted, pushing away from him. "I know that… you don't believe in the creed as I do, but it's my entire life! And you're doing everything to break it!"

"…The Lighthouses," He supplied, and she nodded furiously. "You wouldn't believe me if I tried to convince you, Mia. But let me just say this; why would the Gods put you through this? All this pain? Out of everyone in the world, the LAST person who deserves this is you. I deserve it more, everyone in Imil deserves it before you… why would the Gods make you feel such pain?"

"Shut up," She replied feebly, trying to block out the arguments he had made, consisting of the same questions she had often asked herself late at night. "Don't change the subject. I want to know why Alex. Why you want to destroy the world."

"…Fine," He replied, trying to move closer to her once more, but her defensive stance halted him after a step. "Do you remember reading about the golden age? How great the civilizations were, the cities? Look around you, do you see anything even NEAR that? The world is dying… it can't survive without Alchemy. It's the life force of Weyard, and it's been cut off. It was a noble effort; to reduce wars and power, but foolish."

"…Alex, that's insane," Mia whispered, hanging her head low. "I mean, yes, the world has… shrunk, but the idea that it's dying without Alchemy… insane."

"And if I'm right? Would then you consider that perhaps, your attraction towards other women isn't sinful?" He proposed, and she shrunk.

"…She can see me from above, Alex," Mia whispered, brokenly to herself. "My mother lived and died by our creed. Everyday I spit in her face by—"

"Mia, if Casia saw what you do to your arms in the name of your love, she would cry," Alex interrupted, and Mia shook her head vigorously.

"…It doesn't have to be this way, Alex… you can stop trying to light them, join us, be with me again. I'm…" She gulped, "dating Garet, but I'll always be here for you. Please… don't leave me again for power and destruction."

For the first time, true guilt crossed Alex's face. "…Power? Perhaps… but it is only natural, Mia, and that is beside the point. You will not sway my decision."

"It's my fault… I led you to this…" She murmured, the creeping sense of failure taking her over once more. "I can't fail you again."

"You never did, Mia," Alex replied, trying his best to be soothing. "I made my own choices, and… well, I've failed you more than anything else. I can't have you, but maybe I can do what you would do, and make the world a better place…"

"Don't go, wait, I…" She was silenced by his finger to her lips.

"Promise me that you'll stop hurting yourself, and that you'll accept who you are if I can show you that what I'm trying to do is what's right," He replied, and with a smile, turned away. She reached out, only for her hands to go through the remnants of the glowing blue beams his teleportation left behind. She let herself fall to the ground, and began to sob once more. Deep, deep, deep down in her heart, she had a horrible feeling that she would never see him again.

* * *

><p>"Well, that took long enough…" Isaac lamented as they finally exited the caves, and Ivan nodded.<p>

"Yeah… I'm about ready to leave, I think. A pirate's life is not for me," Ivan replied, and Isaac, his mood starting to grow better with each passing moment, smiled.

"I'll agree with that. I think I had my fill with Deadbeard, to be perfectly honest," The Venus Adept teased, knowing that the fierce battle with that ghost still brought bad memories back to Ivan.

"Ugh," Was the only reply as Ivan rubbed his spine, no doubt remembering one certain slam of a gigantic sword to his back.

"Oh… my, it is you this time, isn't it Isaac!" Came a voice from in front of them, and they glanced to see a bound of purple hair making its way toward them.

"Feizhi… oh Gods no," Isaac muttered under his breath, mental images of being glomped and constantly flirted with entering his mind.

"I can't believe it! I found your friends here a week ago, and I gave them a charm to give to you!" Feizhi said in her typically lightning fast speech.

"Friends?" Isaac asked, and Feizhi nodded.

"Oh, yes! Felix, Jenna, Sheba, Piers, and Kraden," Feizhi replied with a smile. "They were all very kind… except for Jenna, who seemed at first very awkward around me and then slightly angry once I mentioned you, Isaac."

"…Huh. You met Felix…" Isaac replied, lost in his own world. "I think I'm going to head back to the ship… it was, nice talking to you Feizhi, I'm just feeling a little off today."

"Oh… alright," The purple-haired girl said with a sigh, glancing downward. Isaac felt a pang of guilt, but shook it out of his system as images of what had happened the last time he had spent a significant amount of time alone with Feizhi entered his mind. With a shaky smile to the girl from Xian, Isaac turned away and began walking back through the town.

"Don't mind him, Feizhi," Ivan said quietly, patting her on the back. "He's just worn out… hey, if you don't have anything else to do though, I could run through some Jupiter Psynergy with you!" Feizhi perked up, and she glanced at Ivan with enthusiasm.

"Really?" She said with her trademark cheery smile, jumping into the air and landing next to the Jupiter Adept. "That would be wonderful! I can show you some martial arts in return!"

Ivan smiled and nodded, as he realized he was going to get punched very hard in the near future. Ah, well. No pain, no gain, and Isaac's loss most certainly was Ivan's gain.

* * *

><p>Isaac walked quickly, hoping that Feizhi was not following him. He turned to see that was indeed the case, and then cracked a grin as Ivan placed his hand on the young girl's shoulder. It's not that she wasn't a nice girl, but… not his type. DEFINITELY not his type. True, she was perky like Jenna, but not as… grounded. No, that wasn't right. At any rate, he was glad Ivan had found a date for the rest of the day, and that he could make it back to the ship in peace.<p>

A stray sniffle caught his attention, and he turned to see a mass of white and blue crumpled in the alleyway adjacent to him. "…Mia?" He called out in partial disbelief, and sure enough the robed and blue haired figure shifted its face toward him, and it was a face he had grown to know well.

"I saw him, Isaac," Mia whispered, her voice barely carrying to him. Her voice was steady, but weak, and she wasn't crying, but the rawness and red of her cheeks and her fragile eyes indicated that she had been until quite recently. "Alex."

That name drew wide eyes from Isaac, who rushed over to Mia and knelt down to her, putting a comforting arm across her back. Many thoughts rushed through his head, and he felt his core shake with anxiety, but when he spoke it was steady and calm. "Mia, what happened? Did he hurt you?"

He felt her head shake against him, and he breathed in a sigh of relief. "No," She murmured, the effort to speak seemingly exhausting her. "I went on a walk because… well, because I was thinking about him and wanted to stop, but then he saw me or something and tapped me on the back, and…"

"What did he say?" Isaac asked soothingly, and she shook her head.

"…He said he was sorry… and then he left," She whispered, and his eyes narrowed.

"…Okay. If… if there's anything else…" He said softly, but she finally turned to him then and her eyes shone with fragility. He recalled what had led to her slap him, but had a feeling that, this time, pushing any further would only lead her to collapse. But it hurt him to see her so weak and downtrodden, and have no way to lift her up.

"I understand, you don't want to talk about it," Isaac whispered, and Mia nodded feebly. "But… Mia, it kills me to see you like this. We just want you to be happy, and… I think, at some point, you need to tell someone what's wrong. Garet?"

She shook her head vigorously, and said, "If I told any of you… you'd… I can't tell Garet. You… please, just don't. You don't understand, and if you did…"

"Then don't," Isaac replied reassuringly, and she breathed in a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Isaac. For caring, for… picking me up. I need this, every once in a while," Mia replied, and on cue Isaac helped her to her feet.

"Don't mention it," Isaac said, trying to keep the concern out of his voice.

"I'm going to… go back to the ship. I'll see you soon… could you," She swallowed, and wiped some stray moisture off her cheeks. "Go tell Garet I'm not feeling good? He should still be eating at the little restaurant we were at…"

"Okay. You sure you're alright alone?" Isaac asked, and she nodded.

"Yes. I just… didn't expect to see Alex here of all places. Thanks again, Isaac." With a distant sigh, she began to move away from him. Isaac watched her for a few moments, still cursing the helplessness of the situation, but eventually turned away with a sigh of his own, and began to search for Garet.

Mia breathed in deeply as her steps began to gain more strength to them. She still felt shaky, but the shock of what had just happened was beginning to fade, and instead the truth of the encounter was beginning to sink in. Isaac was right, she had hoped that being with Garet would even her out, but she had grown more depressed and conflicted instead.

Swallowing, she shook her head, unwilling to think about what had just occurred when she still felt so brittle. Instead, she focused on each step, blocking out her thoughts as she walked. Still, as she finally reached the ship, one realization slipped through: that no matter how much she wished the opposite were true, she couldn't run from her fears and feelings forever. She just prayed she was strong enough to stand up to them when there was nowhere left to run.

* * *

><p><em>Well, like I said, this one is late, and should have been out a few days prior. I'm going to try to get more updates in though to make up for the crashing of the schedule two months ago, so keep an eye out for those this week.<em>

_I like this chapter; at first I feared that Mia came out as over-emotional, but I think this has been a meltdown that's been hinted at occurring for awhile. She's had a few minor one's along the way, but actually seeing Alex in the flesh, as viewed, didn't do any good for the poor thing._

_Uh, I think I mentioned in the last chapter that this chapter was going to be a picnic with Mia and Garet, and that obviously didn't happen. I decided that, while he's not a huge player in this fic, I needed to finally introduce Alex. He as a character only gets a few (hell, barring a flashback this will probably be his only one) appearances, but he's central to Mia's plight and a major character from her past._

_Oh, I gave Mia's mom a name in this chapter… and then proceeded to worry I had already named her. However, I went and looked, and really don't think that I did, so Casia it is! Can't wait to get a flashback with her in here._

_I went back and forth on the first Isaac/Ivan scene, because while obviously the split between the parties and their eventual reunion is going to be and is a plot point, it's not something I want to focus on; this is character driven romance where the basic end of the story is already known, so the interest comes from the characters!_

_I was going to switch to Jenna's party so we could get to Lemuria, but I decided only one with Mia's party after three with Jenna's wasn't fair, so there will be one more, this time actually featuring the picnic, with Mia and Garet as the centerpiece. I've actually been really worried about this fic, because it's narrative has always been a bit loose compared to what I like to have down, but I think I've emerged from a rough patch and have a good idea of where the plot will go._

_I also worry about typos a bit… I tried to get most of them, but today was the perfect kind of tired where they just evade me effortlessly. Hopefully I'm just imagining things._

_However many chapters there are before the parties meet up is about how many you should expect after. I mean… if the main characters aren't by each other for at least half the fic it doesn't make much sense, right? Well, I'll stop ranting since I'm feeling really ranty today, and end off here. I'll try to get an update for another fic up by tomorrow, but that depends how much Pokemon I play. Yeah :P. Thank the lord I don't have Diablo 3. Thanks for reading!_


	11. Journey to the Beach

_Well, this obviously wasn't meant to be this late, but here it is! I've decided the change up the chapter posting a bit, so rather than that picnic we're following Jenna and the TLA gang in Lemuria for this chapter. More on that later, and as always, more ranting after the break._

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><p><strong>Chapter 11: Journey to the Beach<strong>

"I'm feeling just a bit more pressure, knowing that now the fate of the world is at stake, rather than just your parents' lives... no offense!" Sheba mused, seated in a grassy patch along with the rest of the party (minus Kraden, who was off harassing every Lemurian in earshot about architecture and culture), picking at the grass in front of her. Their meeting with King Hydros had proved meaningful, and most were still in a bit of shock from the implications of it.

"None taken, I feel the same way," Jenna replied; she was lying in the grass, trying to decipher where the sun was in the sky. The perpetual fog made it very difficult to do so, and she wondered if that was another one of the things that had led the civilization to grow lazy: a lack of sunlight.

"I can't believe you had already realized that though, Felix," Sheba muttered, picking a stick off the ground and tracing the symbol of Jupiter into the newly formed circle of dirt. "That's really intelligent."

"Not really, it's more or less what the Proxians told me," Felix replied modestly, though Jenna could see his ears tinge red, a sure sign he was embarrassed. "I mean, Saturos and Menardi really were psychopaths, but they still were right. Either way, it doesn't matter... I would be doing this anyway even if it would destroy the world."

"I'm sure you don't mean that, Felix," Piers replied, his eyes wide.

"Well, I wouldn't have lit Mars; I would have still lit Jupiter, though," Felix muttered, and suddenly his eyes narrowed. "Anyway, it doesn't matter, we're on the right track, and finally can get out of the Eastern Sea."

Jenna tilted her head, wondering why Felix would have been willing to light Jupiter but not Mars, but decided to let it go, as there had been enough strife in the day. Her eyes landed on Piers and softened, amazed at how calm and cheerful he seemed after discovering his mother's death.

"I like the Eastern Sea," Sheba piped in, having rearranged her dirt drawing into Poseidon. "So many cultures and cool people. I'd like to live in Apojji at some point, maybe."

"It's fine... it's just the going around in circles has gotten to me," Felix replied with a wince. "Apojji was nice... besides my sun-burn."Jenna cackled, grabbing her sides as she laughed, and Felix sighed. Why had he thought bringing up that would be a good idea?

Piers and Sheba smiled as well, picturing Felix's bright, bright red face. In the week afterward, anytime Felix has gotten on Jenna's nerves she had simply slapped his cheek, which had, judging by the swearing, been very painful.

"All joking aside, I had a question to ask all of you," Piers said, glancing around the circle.

"Yes, we would like to go sunbathing!" Jenna replied with another giggle, earning a glare from her brother. "But, I think we have to wait until we get out of cloud city. What was your question?"

"Well... time passes slowly in Lemuria, as you know. Very, very slowly," Piers replied.

"Just like jokes through Felix's brain," Jenna yawned, and Felix rolled his eyes.

"What did I do to deserve the teasing today?" Felix grumbled, not backing down as Jenna's fiery gaze fell upon him.

"I don't know, maybe NOT GIVING THE MARS ADEPT THE TRIDENT THAT BESTOWS MERCURY RESISTANCE!" Jenna shouted, and Felix winced.

"Uh... valid point, sorry about that," He replied, and Jenna shook her head. She wasn't just being an ass; that damned Sea God had been a pain in hers. "Anyway, go ahead Piers."

"That's exactly what I'm talking about!" Piers said with a surprising burst of energy, jumping to his feet. "We've been very morose and passive aggressive the last week, and very uptight. I think our party had the idea that getting to Lemuria would be relaxing, or that it would solve some of our problems, and not just those relating to the Lighthouses."

Felix and Sheba glanced at each other, and rather than turning away when their eyes met, Felix nodded silently and Sheba gave a weak smile. Jenna lifted her back off the ground, and pulled her legs into her chest. She had definitely been looking forward to Lemuria... one of the few places she knew she could find other girls like her.

Piers smiled sadly as he looked at his friends, ignoring his own disappointment at not getting the see the one person he had wished to the most. "I think it would be nice if we took a week off in Lemuria..." Piers continued. "If we just gave ourselves a chance to sort some things out, and relax—"

"Yeah, that sounds great, did you must miss the meeting about the world ending?" Felix muttered grumpily, and Piers smiled.

"Trust me, Felix, we haven't spent very much time in Lemuria as it is, and if we stayed for what we perceived as about a week, we would not stay very long in comparison to the outside world. I'd say it would be about... a few hours."

"Whoa, whoa, WHOA," Sheba exclaimed, dropping her stick and staring at Piers in awe. "I thought... you just aged slowly here. You don't mean to tell me that time actually slows down?"

"That's what I'm saying," Piers replied, and the party's collective jaws dropped. "You might have notice how my people have referred to me when they realized I was alive; it was as if, to them, I had been perished for a great length of time. I have no idea how it works... I have long wondered how such a thing would be possible. It is almost as if a Psynergy is constantly being cast on Lemuria that makes time inside flow faster, yet keeps anything within said bubble aging naturally. Or something like that."

"Piers... my head is... ow..." Jenna muttered, holding her head in her hands, Sheba looking similarly pained. Felix was staring at Piers as if he was literally insane, and the Lemurian coughed and flashed a shaky smile.

"Anyway, trust me; we won't burn much time if we remain here for around a week, and we could use the break," Piers concluded, and the rest of the party shared glances. Or, rather, Jenna and Sheba looked at Felix with wide eyes and innocent countenances, and while the Venus Adept could shoot down one such look with ease, both his sister and the girl he favored doing it at the same time was hard to resist. Not to mention that the idea of a vacation that actually took less time than it should sounded very, very wonderful to him. Time to... like Piers had said, sort things out.

"That sounds good," Felix replied, and the rest of the party smiled and gave a small cheer. "But first, we best ask Kraden his thoughts, just in case. KRADEN!" The sage spun at his name being called, and walked over.

"My Felix, I have to show you this spire on that column, if I'm not mistaken some of the lettering is reminiscent of the ancient letters found inside the Great Gambomba!" Kraden began to ramble, and Felix winced. This was going to be the most rhetorical question of all time.

"Wait, um, tell me later, but right now I have a question," Felix interrupted, and Kraden coughed, nodding. "You, uh... you don't mind staying here for a week, do you?"

There was a long moment of silence as Kraden's mouth slid open and his eyes slowly began to water, an image which sent Sheba and Jenna into near hysterics. "OH FELIX!" The elderly man exclaimed a moment later. "You really do care!"

As the sage encouraged Felix to his feet so he could give him a hug, Piers said with a smile, "Well, on that note, there are a few people I would like you all to meet while we stay here, and since we have nothing planned for the rest of the day, I figured we can go visit them. I have already alerted them to our potential visits, so if you all wouldn't mind..."

"Yeah, let's go," Felix muttered, glancing at Piers with untold terror as he slowly patted Kraden's head.

"Hmmm... I'll stay here and examine the spire, but I shall be sure to catch up with you," Kraden said with glee. "I can't describe how wonderful this is... never had I thought, when I was kidnapped against my will by Saturos and Menardi, that it would lead me to Lemuria..." With a wizened smile, the sage turned and jogged back to the column, and Felix sighed.

"Oh, you know you love him Felix," Jenna countered as they turned to follow Piers, and Felix sighed.

"When Kraden's not excited, he's harmless. When he is excited?" Felix asked rhetorically, and Sheba giggled.

"He's just as harmless?" She supplied, and Felix broke into a smile. Jenna, considering the past few weeks, couldn't help her face break into a smile of her own at the sight.

"So, where are we headed?" The Mars Adept asked, slightly excited to see more of the city and its denizens (thought not as excited as Kraden).

"To see two close friends of mine; Cladnen, and Selia. Cladnen first since he lives nearby, and then to Selia's," Piers replied, turning to lead them down a hill. "They both live closer to the shore."

"Ooh, beaches?" Jenna inquired, and Piers nodded.

"You need to be careful, as there are, as you might have guessed while sailing in, numerous rocks if you go out too far," He replied. "The only injury related deaths in Lemuria are usually a result of those. Other than that, though, the beaches are fantastic."

"I can just imagine... watching the sun-set through the clouds, lying in the sand. We're definitely going," Jenna said with anticipation, and Felix sighed. More sunburns. Great.

"What are Cladnen and Selia like, Piers?" Felix asked, interest in what other Lemurians were like. Travelling over the world instilled an interest in other cultures in you, whether you liked it or not.

"Well, I've known Cladnen for—" Sheba's ears perked up "–well, a long while," Piers said, the Jupiter Adept's shoulders sagging, as the Lemurian then turned once more onto a bridge wrought from ancient and faded purple stones. "He's... er, actually similar to you, Felix." Something about the way Piers said that made Felix suspicious, and he squinted at the mariner, who smiled airily in return.

"It's a similar story with Selia," Piers continued. "You will enjoy her, Jenna, I think." Jenna whipped her head around at that comment and hesitated before smiling. She couldn't help but hope that he meant what she thought he did. "Anyway... we are indeed here."

The party stared at the house they had arrived at; it was quite... small. And decidedly, well, less decadent than the rest of the city. Rather than made of ornate stone, it was built from wood, and while most of the island seemed to be coated in cool and misty colors, its simple brown palette was slightly out of place.

"Cozy, reminds me of Vale," Felix said, breaking the silence. "A little out of place. I like it."

"It certainly is quaint," Sheba agreed, used to living in a small house despite her pedigree as a "Goddess".

"Cladnen is very low-key," Piers said with an amused grin, walking up to the house and knocking on the door. "Hey! I'm back!"

An audible grunt came from inside the cabin, and the door opened a moment later. Standing in the doorway was a fairly young looking man, well-built and muscular, his only distinguishing feature his blue hair, which unlike the other shades the party had seen so far was reminiscent of the ocean.

Well, that wasn't his only distinguishable feature, Jenna mused, but before she could say anything Sheba contacted her via telepathy: _HOLY ME! He looks just like Felix! _The Jupiter Adept shouted mentally, and Jenna had to hold in her laughter.

_Holy you? What do you mean? And he DOES look the same! _Jenna thought back, only to hear a snicker.

_I am holy, remember? You're lucky I don't request better treatment... _Sheba shot back, and Jenna couldn't help it, letting a giggle slip, coughing and blushing after she did so. The man eyed her for a moment, but then shrugged and remained still.

"My friends, this is Cladnen, my part—"

"This is the guy you were pretending to date?" Cladnen interrupted Piers, moving out the door and standing directly in front of Felix. "I have no idea who you're talking about, Picard, I look nothing like him." The mother of awkward silences occurred as Felix's jaw deftly dropped while he eyed Cladnen, before Piers coughed.

"Picard?" Sheba squeaked, her eyes brimming with laughter as she turned towards the mariner, who simply sighed.

"My partner, Cladnen," The Lemuria finished, smiling awkwardly as Jenna and Sheba shared a glance of clarity while Felix's face hardened and he and Cladnen began an impromptu staring contest.

A minute passed before Felix barked, "I agree, no resemblance," leading Jenna and Sheba to burst into giggles and Piers to smirk. "Also, completely different personalities."

"...What are you implying?" Cladnen asked angrily, taking a step forward, and Felix took one as well.

"What I said. No resemblance. You and I are not alike in anyway whatsoever," Felix replied firmly, and Cladnen raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, Mars! They're trying to out-Felix each other!" Jenna whispered to Sheba frantically, too amused to use telepathy.

"I know! Who are you rooting for, brown-Felix or blue-Felix?" Sheba asked, and Jenna stroked her chin thoughtfully.

"To begin with, I think they need better names, and I guess our Felix," Jenna replied, turning to glance back at the two before twisting around again, nearly losing herself. "I mean, he already has a hard enough time being Felix, I can't imagine someone taking his Felixicity away."

"Both good points," Sheba murmured in response, her green eyes darting between the still staring Valean and Lemurian. "Uh, how about Land-Felix and Sea-Felix?"

Jenna smiled and began to respond when Felix (er, Land-Felix, that is) growled, "Jenna, if I ever hear you call me Land-Felix, I swear to Venus I will strand you on this damn island."

"Oooh, I think Land-Felix just pulled ahead!" Sheba exclaimed jovially, but was quickly silenced by Piers.

"I had feared this might happen..." Piers muttered, stepping it between Felix and Cladnen. "Listen, Clad, you don't need to feel threatened; remember my promise, before I left?"

Cladnen chuckled and shook his head after a moment, turning and walking into the house. "Heh. Threatened. By that guy? Fat chance," He grunted, and with an enthusiastic wave Piers led the party into the house, Felix being the last to enter to no one's surprise.

It was what one would expect from viewing the outside, organized and tidy. A small furnace sat in the corner near a large bed and a stuffed bookcase, while the rest of the cottage was only filled by a stove, icebox, pantry, and a good-sized table. The party plus Cladnen definitely fit, but it was a bit cramped.

"So... Cladnen, it's wonderful to meet Piers' boyfriend," Jenna said amicably, offering a hand to shake, and while Cladnen, who sat at the table, took it, he seemed displeased.

"Husband," He replied when he noticed Jenna's puzzled look, and then sighed. "Did you... I don't know, even mention me?" He then asked Piers, who shrugged.

"Truth be told, I didn't know if I would make it back... it was lucky I could, and that the ship wasn't destroyed, among other various trials," Piers replied, patting Cladnen on the back. "So, I didn't focus on speaking of Lemuria, since there was a chance we could not reach it. After seeing the outside world... describing our home would be difficult."

"I don't know Piers, you could have mentioned you were married," Sheba popped in, grinning as Cladnen pointed in her direction exasperatedly to show he agreed. "But, I guess you kind of have a flair for mystery, huh?"

"M-Mysterious!" The sailor stuttered, taken back. "I... I mean, I don't gush about things, but—"

"I've tried to have this conversation with him a thousand times... and you're not from here, so when I say that, I am NOT exaggerating," Cladnen replied, rising to give Piers a kiss on the cheek and then moving to the icebox. "He's just... eh, dramatic. I bet he's told you all some of his stories." The party nodded, and Cladnen smiled, ruffling Pier's hair as he sat back down, an apple in his hand. "But that's what I love about him, though once in awhile getting information straight would be pleasant. Feel free to eat anything you wish; if your Picard's friends—" Piers sighed as his birth-name was used once more "—then you're guests."

"I actually think I'm going to head down to Selia's with Jenna, for now," Piers replied, placing his hand on the Mars Adepts shoulder and gaining her attention. "Though I'd appreciate if you watched after Felix and Sheba till I return."

"Ah, was meaning to ask their names. Sheba, Felix." Caldnen nodded at each as he spoke. "Fine. I've waited a while for you to come back, another hour or so won't hurt," Cladnen said with a yawn, seemingly settled down from his earlier grumpiness.

"You should warn Jenna about Selia, considering you probably forgot to," Cladnen continued, and Felix's head shot to Piers as if on a swivel.

"Warn? Why? Why warn?" Felix shot, Piers smacking his head and Sheba giggling.

Cladnen laughed, and shook his head. "Oh, it's nothing really... Selia favors the exotic, and I'm just picturing her meeting a girl with auburn hair."

"Ah," Felix muttered, sending a look that was so sharp at Piers that the Lemuria nearly moved his head in an attempt to dodge it.

"Oh! Alright, so she is... you know," Jenna exclaimed, her grip on the terminology still not very strong.

"She likes both," Piers replied with a gentle smile, and Cladnen raised an eyebrow.

"Is that normal in the outside world?" He asked, and the rest of the party nodded sadly. "Figures, and I can tell by your faces it isn't accepted, either," The Lemurian muttered darkly, shaking his head. "My ultra-grandfather told me stories of how he personally exiled this ass of a senator who refused to listen to reason about sexuality. Not the first time I've been glad we cut ourselves off from the outside. No offense."

"None taken," Sheba replied for the party, and then coughed. "Um... ultra-grandfather?"

"Oh, that's a term we use when we forget how many greats back a relative is," Piers responded, and Felix raised an eyebrow. Lemuria definitely had its quirks.

"So, we should probably head out then, before dusk comes," Jenna said with loosely restrained anticipation, and Piers smiled and nodded.

"I'm only dropping her off, so I should be back soon," The mariner added, ignoring Felix's death glare as he turned away, and kissing Cladnen goodbye, of course.

It wasn't that the Venus Adept wasn't happy that Jenna was meeting someone like her. He just sure as hell didn't want Piers to be matchmaking in the situation.

"See you guys soon!" Jenna said with a wave, exiting as Piers held the door for her.

"Uh... so," Sheba muttered after a few moments had passed, and Felix coughed.

"So, that sword for show?" Cladnen asked Felix cooly, staring at his nails.

"I don't mind showing what I can do with it, no," Felix replied just as calmly, and Cladnen, grinning, pointed to a large, sheathed blade behind the furnace. Sheba could only roll her eyes; they had fought to the death so many times in the past few months, and what does Felix do at the first sign of rest? Pick a fight.

The Venus Adept rose along with the Mercury Adept, and after Cladnen retrieved his blade they made their way to the door. "It's muggy out, and muddy as well; you should lose the shirt," Cladnen suggested, and Felix raised an eyebrow at the implications of the statement before shrugging and removing his tunic.

Sheba raised an eyebrow as he did so and exited the house, and after a moment rose from her chair as well, stretching as she did so. Maybe a nice sparring match wasn't so bad an idea after all.

* * *

><p>"So, tell me about Selia," Jenna said with a smile, drawing one out of Piers. Cladnen's house had been near the shore, and rather than take another path they had elected to travel along the beach. Despite being a Mars Adept, Jenna had a deep love for the ocean, and particularly beaches; she had been stunned the first time she had come across one. Perhaps she would give Lemuria a chance as a home in the future, what with the nearby ocean and the whole living forever thing. That was a decent perk, to say the least.<p>

"Uh… she's kind of hard to describe," Piers replied, scratching his head and smiling, old memories sparkling in his golden eyes. "But you'll definitely like her. She's… unique."

"What does she look like; blue hair?" Jenna teased, and Piers smiled.

"How did you guess?" He replied, nodding. "And blue eyes to match. She's about my age, whatever that means to you."

"Ugh, you are so cryptic," Jenna said, shaking her head as she squinted to view a house in the distance, wondering if it was Selia's.

"How rude," Piers replied with distaste, and Jenna giggled. "I'm serious! I was distraught at Sheba calling me mysterious… so, I like to be subtle about things. There's nothing wrong with that."

"How is not telling us your mission or that you were married subtle, exactly?" Jenna inquired, and Piers froze.

"Anyway, back to Selia," Piers said, and Jenna rolled her eyes, punching him in the shoulder. "Fine, fine… I'll try to be less secretive!" Piers said with exasperation, and Jenna smiled.

"Good. You should open up more… you AND Felix," she replied, and then frowned. Jenna wondered how much Piers knew about Felix's planned discussion with Sheba; that is, if her brother was actually living up to his end of the bargain. "He's… talking to Sheba soon, right? I mean, at least it's not painful anymore, but it's still awkward."

"Him and Sheba or you and Sheba?" Piers asked deftly, and Jenna growled. Piers would find a way to shift this into a conversation about her…

"Oh, but you don't mind prying into other people's business, now do you?" She hissed, and Piers nodded cheerily. "I guess both. I mean, it's been hard watching them kind of awkwardly avoid each other on the ship, considering how naturally flirty they were before, but I figured it would be easier to get over Sheba once Felix and her were together, which obviously hasn't happened because Felix… ugh, that boy, sometimes."

"Hahaha… fair," Piers replied, shaking his head with mirth. "He is a great man. He just goes about things a little differently."

"Un. Der. State. Ment." Jenna replied, and Piers laughed once more, and the Mars Adept couldn't help but smile. "Uh, is this it?" She pointed to the mansion they had arrived in front of.

Well, not a mansion, but it was more than close enough to warrant the comparison. The size wasn't up to par, it only being two stories and not too wide, but the regality and attention to detail were certainly there. The omnipresent purple color scheme was still in use, but it was enhanced by doses of aqua as well, and the stonework was superior to even the palace, and certainly more imaginative, with numerous arches and elaborate spires decorating the outside walls and roof.

But, the selling point for Jenna was the stained glass windows, of which there were four, in the front. They were painstakingly crafted, utilizing a variety of colors and, from what Jenna could tell, depicting scenes from Lemurian history. One such image looked to be Poseidon conjuring a massive tidal wave, which caused Jenna to gulp; much, much too soon.

"Yes, it is," Piers replied, having stopped to admire the house as well. "Selia certainly has a flair… she claims she built this house to look so majestic because (He cleared his throat and began speaking in a higher pitch): 'If I'm not able to leave this island and find somewhere else to live, I'm sure as hell going to be living in a house I won't get tired of looking at.'"

Jenna couldn't help but crack a smile at that, and with a nod they made their way to the door, where Piers took one of the large, turtle shaped knockers in his hand, releasing it and causing a large din.

"Jeez, if you got your fingers under one of these, it'd be flattened!" Jenna exclaimed, and Piers nodded sadly.

"I've had said experience. It's why I knocked," He replied, and Jenna smiled.

"Such a gentlemen!" She replied, but turned quickly as the door opened, a pair of crystal clear blue eyes and hair reminiscent to Alex's greeting her. Selia (or at least Jenna assumed this was Selia) was wearing a light blue sundress with a few white trills; plain, but cute. She eyed them both with a warm smile for a moment, before…

"Ah! Piers! And Jenna!" Selia exclaimed rushing forward and glomping Piers.

She turned and nearly leapt into Jenna before pausing, but Jenna smiled and said, "It's fine, I'm a hug person." Selia's smile widened and she sure enough hugged Jenna tightly, before parting and waving both of them in.

"Come in, come in! Visitors from the outside, it's so exciting! Not to mention that you're alive Piers, which is also great news as well," Selia said with a wink to her fellow Lemurian, who shook his head.

"Alas, imagine if I had indeed perished? What would you have done without me?" Piers teased, and Selia giggled.

"Drowned Conservato? I'll still give it some thought, even though you have returned," Selia replied, leading them into what looked to be a living room, and offering two stone seats coated with plush padding. "How was Cladnen? The poor thing… he's been over here every other day worrying. This time, try to leave with less style?" Piers's face fell slightly at the concept of his husband being so distraught, but quickly shook it off.

"Ha, if you call getting stuck between a barrel and the cabin while the boat was flung by that tidal wave stylish!" Piers said, and both Jenna and Selia laughed.

"So, Selia… how do you know Piers?" Jenna asked, noting how close the two appeared. Both Lemurians shared a fond look, and Selia cleared her throat.

"Well, first off, I'm sure you can see we aren't as large a city as Tarion, so…" Selia paused as Jenna gave her a blank stare, and Piers coughed. "Well… I guess it would make sense that a few of the cities we used to visit have ceased to exist. Anyway, we're a small little group, so you get to know everyone very well early on in your life… a little too well, to be honest."

"That makes sense," Jenna replied with a nod, and Selia glanced at Piers, smiling once more.

"However, Piers and I do have a bit of a… expanded history, I guess you could say!" Selia continued, blushing slightly. "I was his first, and as it turned out, last female partner." Jenna's eyes widened, and her gaze quickly fell upon Piers, who grinned nervously.

"Piers! You didn't tell me that you and Selia were together!" She shouted, and Selia giggled.

"Are you trying to forget me, Piers?" She asked, and the mariner flushed.

"I… never! I greatly enjoyed our time together, and consider you a valued friend…" Piers sputtered out, clearly having hoped the conversation would not go down this route. "I… just didn't want Jenna to feel awkward."

"Awkward about what?" Selia asked, tilting her head as her eyes shifted between Piers and Jenna.

"Well… um… you know," Jenna whispered, blushing as she laid her hands in her lap, hesitant to breach the subject so brashly. If there was one thing she could work on in terms of romance, it was subtlety.

"Um… Piers?" Selia asked, clearly confused, and the sailor winced. Jenna narrowed her eyes and bit her lip. There was no way… surely, Piers wouldn't have…

"Piers? You did, er, mention me, right?" Jenna asked, and Piers gulped.

"Er… yes," He replied, and Jenna sighed, fearing the worst.

"Did you mention the… you know what I'm talking about!" Jenna shouted, tired of the mariner's dodging. He smiled nervously a moment before slowly bringing his shoulders into a shrug.

"It… might have slipped my mind?" He forced out, and Jenna groaned. "But it's fine! I'm sure Selia will understand!" His unsure smile directly contradicted his words, and Jenna had half a mind to walk out of the room.

"Understand what?" Selia asked, her patience seemingly growing thin. "Piers… what did you neglect?" She rose from her seat, hands on her hips, and made her way over to Piers. It was only now that Jenna truly took in the woman's body; it was emphatically the body of a woman, Selia appearing a few years older than her and more curved. Not to say that was a bad thing, as Jenna found Selia very fair, and moving past her body she did indeed radiate a certain sense of joyousness, much like Sheba.

"Well, I may have, er, kind of implied, but not promised!" Jenna rolled her eyes as the nervous Lemurian spoke, "That you would… um, no easy way to say this, that you and Jenna would go out on a date?" Selia raised an eyebrow, and turned to Jenna, who was blushing but still made direct eye contact.

Selia's stern face quickly morphed into a smile, as she then brought her gaze back to Piers. "How rude; you're gone for a few years, and the first thing you do when you return is try to matchmake me? What if I had gotten married in that time?" Jenna caught herself from exclaiming "A few years!", still unused to the Lemurian time lap, and sighed. Well, this was going fantastic.

"Well… Selia, it's just that… perhaps Jenna could do her story more justice," Piers replied, and Selia rolled her eyes, and turned back to Jenna, who bit her lip.

"The poor thing clearly didn't expect to walk into this situation, Picard," Selia accosted, Jenna doing her best to stifle a giggle at hearing Piers's true name once more.

"No, it's fine," Jenna whispered after Piers's silence, rising from her chair. "It's something I really should be doing myself. You see, Selia, I only recently realized I like both girls and boys, as in the outside world, liking someone of your gender isn't really… normal. So, as such, it's been hard to find another girl… well, like me." Jenna paused and sighed, trying to find the right words.

"So, Piers told you about my bisexuality, and wanted us to… try something out?" Selina asked, and Jenna nodded hesitantly.

"Or at least talk about things… get to know each other," Jenna said, rubbing her arm, feeling foolish and guilty. "I feel bad now, though, I don't want you to feel forced or anything—"

"Are you joking? I've been wanting to go on a date with an outsider for years!" Selia exclaimed, rushing over to Jenna and grabbing her by the hand. "Everyone in Lemuria is sooo damn lazy and boring, blaming the 'air' or 'lack of things to do' or (she pointed to Piers) 'the SEALING OF ALCHEMY!'" Selia waved her arms dramatically. "I mean, Piers is pretty energetic, and Lunpa is a right sparkplug, but everyone else here can barely tell what the difference between being awake and asleep is."

Selia palmed her forehead with a groan. "Do you know who I spend most of my time with? You know the two children who hang out in the buildings on the east side of the island?" Selia asked, and Jenna thought briefly before she remembered seeing a boy and girl chasing each other earlier, and nodding. "Yeah, them! Hell, the cow provides better conversation than Conservato! If there was ever a perfect naming job…"

Selia trailed off, and, viewing Jenna's smiling face, winced and coughed. "Sorry… I kind of get, carried away now and again."

"That's fine, I'm the same way," Jenna replied with a wider smile, placing a hand on the Lemurian's shoulder. "So… you, um, don't mind if we…" Selia leaned in and kissed Jenna's lips, her hand finding the curve in the Valean's back.

"Not at all… you can stay in my home if you wish, and that goes to all of your friends as well," Selia whispered as she moved her head back, smiling at Jenna's warm blush. Selia's years of supposed experience had certainly led to her be very, very good at kissing.

"I-I'll let them know," Jenna replied, but Piers interrupted her with a cough.

"Actually, I'm going to head back and leave you two alone for a little bit," Piers said with a smile. "So, I'll let them know for you."

"Alright, but Piers?" Jenna asked, and the mariner nodded. "Like, actually tell, them alright? Not… partially tell them. TELL. THEM." Piers frowned and Selia burst into laughter.

"Trust me Jenna, he is MUCH too old to learn new tricks," Selia said, patting her old friend on the back and then placing her other arms around Jenna's back. "We'll be outside by the shore if you need us, but we shouldn't be too long; the sun is setting." Jenna couldn't conceal her glee at the idea of watching the sunset, smiling brightly at Selia.

Piers looked at the two with a grin, and nodded. "Have fun you two — see you soon!" With that, the sailor left the room, and Jenna tentatively reached her arm around Selia's back, only for the woman to move away and quickly grab the Mars Adept's hand.

"You're a Mars Adept, correct?" Selia asked, gently guiding Jenna to a side door and pulling it open, revealing the ocean in the distance. Jenna nodded, and Selia licked her lips. "Hot." Jenna burst into laughter at the terrible pun, with Selia joining in as they began to make their way down to the sand.

* * *

><p><em>I really enjoyed writing this chapter; it's funny, I procrastinate so much, but once I just get all these ideas of deadlines and screwing things up out of my head I really enjoy writing these stories, and they happen naturally.<em>

_So, I'm probably going to end up changing it, but right now it will be this, another chapter in Lemuria, the Garet/Mia chapter, and then a final Lemuria chapter and then OUT. That might change around a bit depending on how things go, but that's the tentative plan._

_I had way too much fun with the Cladnen and Felix situation, but I actually do think that Piers would kind of go for someone like that; a little more stoic and down to earth, like Felix._

_With Selia, though, I really allowed her character to grow as I was writing her, and I like her so far; OCs are a weakness for me, as I can make a character interesting but have problems rounding them out, so we'll see where things go with her. It's nice to finally get Jenna a romantic interest, though; or at least one that's in her general vicinity._

_I'm going to try to pick up on some kind of schedule again, not as quick, but one that I can actually manage. So, that's it for now, thanks for reading!_


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